“You…and your brother.” This was the verse that had me on edge, the one I couldn’t piece together. “Did you figure out what it means?”“It means one of us will die.” He shrugged. The callous way he talked about his own life; it made a flicker of anger start in the pits of my stomach. “The memory of one will live, should the other survive. If only we knew who was who.”“What about the other prophecies?” I asked, referring to the individual ones for Nadia and me.Dain paused, and I caught the split-second hesitation. It was astounding how much I noticed when I actually paid attention to him, when I allowed myself to memorize every expression and flicker of light in his eyes.“Which ones?” He asked, lifting the glass to his lips.Oh, he was good. More than convincing as he waited patiently for an answer, his eyes never once straying or conveying more

“That was incredible!” Adley squealed, lowering her voice to a whisper as I hushed her. Her grin was wide and endearing, “Sorry, sorry. This is all just so exciting! I love weddings.”Ally’s voice was bored, “Except for the fact that it’s—"She grabbed my hands, her smile widening when Ally rolled her eyes. “You have to let me help plan things. I can see it now. It’s going to be one of the biggest events in history!”“Of course, you can help plan the wedding.” My smile was carved from granite, and only grew harder when Dain’s deep laugh sounded from beside me.I opened my mouth and tried to relax my rigid posture as he placed a small piece of candied fruit into my mouth, his eyes lingering on my lips. I reminded myself that this was all about being seen. We were playing a role, acting just like Adley and Gerald had when they moved into town.His soft lips,

It was Dain’s steady hand that brought me back to the present, gently prying my fingers from where I had grabbed hold of his shirt. My mouth shut with a click, and I blinked back the splotches of orange light that lingered in my vision.“That is a dragon.” The stars in his eyes twinkled with excitement and just a hint of his usual madness. He held up the package in his hands, “And this is a mooncake. They have a long history in this kingdom, and in my family.”I couldn’t pull myself away from his eyes, not when they traced over my face, studying my every reaction. I had to force myself to look down as he peeled back the sparkling paper, sending it careening into a bin with a nod of his head. It was a pastry, but one I hadn’t seen before. I was certain I hadn’t tried it during my time in Iridian.“You can only get them here, during the festival of Night.” He explained, again maneuvering us away

Cain stretched his arms out at his sides, a dual sword in each hand. The pommels were silver, swirling and curving like crescent moons as they inched down the obsidian blades. His dark hair cascaded down his shoulders. When paired with the armor and swords, Cain looked as deadly as a warrior for the House Viotto should.The darkness seemed to gather at his feet, coating his body until he faded into every shadow. It was like a dark smog had been erected around him. I could see the glitter of magic along with his hazy form, almost invisible to the eye. He veered towards the largest dragon, slashing at its feet with his swords. She screeched and tried swiping with one of her wings, but she couldn’t see where her attacker was.Erebos, with a quiver of silver tipped arrows on his back, darted through the crowd so fast that his body blurred. All I could make out was a streak of silver as he rushed to the pavilion being terrorized by the other smaller dragons.  

“She stabbed you. No, she wouldn’t do that…” Adley shook her head, using her trembling fingers to comb through the knots in her hair. The blonde strands were coated with so much dirt they looked ash brown. Her brightest feature were her eyes, which flitted around the great hall of Dain’s castle with unrepressed curiosity. She no longer sounded sure of herself, “…not without telling me, at least.”I knew without asking, both Dain and I were convinced his block to the moon’s energy had everything to do with Ally’s kidnapping and the men with white slashed across their eyes. Just minutes after I found them, Dain was able to transport all of us to the castle. Not a spec of exhaustion crossed his face, even as he sent Adley, Cain, Helios, and me liquifying into shadow and night.“You know it’s not always that simple.” The last person I would’ve expected to have any sort of soft si