The first thing I register is the sensation of long sharp points lodging themselves in my right shoulder, seemingly slow in finding the depths of my flesh. Something warm is rushing into me, and it’s not just the breath of Alistair’s wolf form on my numb skin. It’s rushing into my veins, latching itself onto the very fiber of my being as my muscles freeze. I try to inhale, to at least gasp at the excruciating sensation, but my chest is hard. It’s not giving way to my breaths. Heat is spreading in my bones as though I’m being set on fire from the inside. I open my mouth and I immediately feel my voice rising up, building up my throat— Then I let out a blood-curdling scream that shakes up the entire dungeon as he pulls away. I fall on my knees. My hand instantly flies to the bitten spot, the area where my neck meets my shoulder. The blood on it is thick and sticky now, continuously flowing from the numerous holes that I can feel under my fingers. My sig

I don’t hesitate for one second. With shaking hands I fumble for the lock of the window and push the panes open, letting in the cold wind and the promise of being close to Alistair.A part of me expected his image to vanish, but as I poke my head through the window frame, I still see him below, standing by the gardens, wearing his usual black linen clothes and a smile on his face.That smile . . . oh, how I love it. Especially the way it’s not only a movement of the lips. You can see the joy in his eyes, in the slight scrunch of his nose, in the dimples on his cheeks. My heart immediately gets flooded with longing, so extreme that I can almost feel it physically. My eyes begin to water, and I find myself opening my mouth to shout his name.But thankfully, I remember where I am at the last minute. I stop myself, pursing my lips and finding myself cracking the biggest smile I ever had in a while. My cheeks are stinging, but I don’t mind. I start

“Hey!” I try to push Hendrik off of me. My skin is tingling with his touch, and not in a good way. “Let me go!”Hendrik doesn’t let go. If anything, his grip on my upper arm gets tighter. It’s pretty dark in the shack and I can’t see his face, but I’m pretty sure I’m getting a smug look from him now.“I swear, I will scream,” I threaten. “I will scream and people will hear me and they will know how much of an assaulter you are!”He sighs. “If you stop wriggling, I will let you go. I just want to talk in private and this is the only place I know where no one will listen. Now please, just stand there and listen. This will be over in a couple of minutes.”The exasperation in his voice tells me that he’s not here for the purpose that I thought. No one can possibly sound so done and want to assault someone at the same time. And he does seem to be honest, because whe

“Are you alright?” Hendrik asks as soon as we exit the throne room, closing the door behind him as he holds the small of my back. “Elora, talk to me.”I can’t. I don’t want to open my mouth. I’m not even sure I heard him properly, what he’s been saying and what he just said right now. It seems like there are cotton balls stuffed inside my ringing ears, allowing me to block everything. My heart is beating too fast, and I have to gasp for breath as we start to walk along the hallway. My cheek is still stinging, but I’m already numb inside.Tomorrow will be my last day here in the palace. I will be out of this place forever. It’s what I wanted since I came back, right?Then why am I still hurt?Did I kill the baby? Was that the reason for my subtle exile? Is this why I’m getting banished? Did I—?“No,” Alistai suddenly says. “You didn’t.”&ldqu

My brain stops working. I can’t quite comprehend what I’m seeing. I’m shaking badly, but at the same time my body feels incapable of any kind of movement. All I know is that I can’t look away from the creature slowly crawling out of the sewers, its legs as thick as branches. Its face is pale and just . . . wrong.It has eight eyes like a regular spider, black and beady and scattered on its forehead. Its hair is long and flowy, and I don’t know if it’s just me, or if it has that blurry, crawling quality that makes my skin prickle.I can’t believe such a creature still exists, and I can’t believe it’s lurking here in the open. I can’t believe no one has seen it yet.But that’s not true, because now that I stare closely, I can see mangled bones littering the sewer floor.I reach for Hendrik’s hand, too scared to mind what I’m doing. I just want to feel someone next to me, someone a