I flinched at both of his questions. They were equally true but they were both important, too. Gabe needed to understand the seriousness of the situation. At the same time, marriage was a big deal. I knew that. Millions of people struggled to make it work. But for some damn reason, my marrying Gabe would save Polonias. How could that be a bad thing? Frustrated and stalling, I picked up the fork and cut into the egg before shoving it into my mouth. And sighed. The food was so good. "Where did you learn how to make omelets?" I asked, changing the subject while I collected myself. He took a bite of his eggs, chewing slowly. "Chayot headquarters. One chayot in particular, Delphina, is very adept at great-tasting art. She showed me how to make them." "Delphina?" I ignored the jealousy forming in the pit of my stomach. While she had a beautiful name, surely she had wrinkled skin, sagging boobs, and short curly white hair. He nodded before shoving a huge bite in his mouth and chew

If I had to pick a place to be married, this wasn't bad. It wasn't Paris. Definitely not. And that was okay. In a lot of ways, Polly's garden was even better. The magnificent waterfall colliding into the crystal clear pool, to the lily pads with lilies floating along the surface, to the way the lush grass danced lazily in the soft wind. There were dozens of flowers growing wild along the edge. Trees surrounded this place - the heart of Polonias. Polly's Paradise. That was what I wanted to call the place.Beyond the physical beauty was Polly herself. My sister. Her sweet disposition radiated around her. She belonged here. That much was obvious. Maybe it was because it was part of her.Then there was Leo. We were nearly strangers. He didn't love me any more than I loved him, but this wasn't about love. It was about magic, and it seemed our magics bound together would save Polly. I needed to go through with this."You'll marry me?" Leo asked again, and I saw the doubt beh

"Leo!" I cried as pain tore through my insides. I worked to ignore it, focusing on the fallen prince. His head had smacked hard against a rock and he lay on the ground, his eyes closed. I knelt in front of him, placing his head in my lap, trying to think of a spell to heal him. One came to mind and I raised my hand as the words formed on my lips. "Silence," Mizrabel said, shooting a blaze of magic at my chest. Unprepared, for the impact, I fell back."Do not speak," she yelled, twisting her hand and causing my mouth to seal shut. She floated down, getting closer to us.I was confused. Was Mizrabel on my side or not? It appeared all she knew was how to betray those she was supposed to love. Quilla and Violet were huddled together, and I wondered why until I saw Polly behind them. They were protecting her.Anna jumped into the air, her wings beating against the air as she moved toward Mizrabel. She held something in her hand, but I couldn't tell what it was. "You will leave Polly an

As we made our way back to the castle, I could see Leo's eyes were open. He was watching me but said nothing. What was there to say? We failed. Several times I tried to utter words to a spell that would set me free, but they wouldn't leave my mouth. Frustrated, I huffed. "What's wrong with me?"Lawson chuckled. "It's the cuffs. They won't allow you to perform any magic." "Figures." I sighed, wishing there was something else to do, but it seemed I was out of options. Merde. I was tres pissed and couldn't do a thing about it."You were supposed to be my bride. Now you'll burn. What a waste." Lawson glanced back at me. "Perhaps I can have my way with you before you die." His smile turned oily."That will never happen," I spat, disgusted. He didn't speak again.We rode through the forest, over a hill, and into a lovely meadow filled with pink and violet flowers. We kept going through the town built around the castle. The streets were paved with stone. Four wooden bridges went along

"Hello, Cindy," he said, breathing out two puffs of smoke. I shook my head in shock, unable to believe my eyes. "What the hell? Is it really you?" Part of me wondered if I died back there and this was some kind of afterlife dream. I hadn't seen the dragon in two years, since he helped me save Snow's mom. After our return, he simply vanished. "Yes, child, it's really me." Like a cat, he curled himself into a ball and rested his head on his front paws. "It seems your life is still crazy. I thought after you saved Ariel and began teaching full time, you would settle down a bit. Perhaps even marry your chayot boyfriend. Obviously, I was mistaken." "Obviously," I said, crossing my arms. He chuckled, sending twin clouds of smoke from his enormous nostrils."How did you get here? How did you know I was in trouble?" I wiped the soot and tears from my cheeks before rubbing my palms on the bodice of my dress. It had a really rough day, but it still seemed to be in one piece."I've been aliv