*Genevieve*Even though I had barely gotten more than a few hours of sleep last night, I woke up feeling more rested than I had in weeks. My fingers and toes stung, and my arms and legs were sore from the climb, but I felt an overwhelming sense of pride at having been able to survive the climb in the first place. I was rusty, but I wasn't ruined.I rolled over as I tried to convince myself to get up for the day. Something cream-colored caught my eye.I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and reached for my pillow. There was a note left on cream linen paper, with beautifully scripted writing in black ink. I picked it up and read it, feeling my mood instantly brighten.'I enjoyed being with you last night, minus the murder stuff. When can we meet to make a plan? Leave a response note in the planter outside of your room by nine this morning.'The note was signed 'Just R'. I smiled and set it aside. Just Rowan. I should dispose of the note somewhere, destroy it so that no one would f

"Listen, I'm flattered, but I'm old enough to be your dad," Budge whispered."What in the world are you talking about?" I hissed back."I mean, we both know what's going on here. You were looking for me the other day, without really having a good reason. Now, you're asking to meet me in old abandoned hallways… Really, I think you're a lovely girl, but I'm way too old for this kind of thing," Budge continued."Will you shut up for a second? I don't want to be with you," I retorted with a grimace.Budge's mouth snapped shut, his dark eyes narrowing as he waited for what I was going to say next."I need to know that your number one concern is Rowan's safety," I continued."Of course it is. Honestly, just what the hell is this about? You mope around the castle for weeks and now all of a sudden you care about something?" Budge snapped back.I looked around the dim hallway of the lower corridor, confirming that we were fully alone before answering. "First off, I haven't been mo

*Genevieve*"I want to go home," Aurora cried.If I wasn't sure that Aurora was involved, I would genuinely feel bad for her. She seemed frazzled. I couldn't decide if this was a genuine reaction to realizing what she had done, or if she was just that good of an actress. Either way, she put on a good show."I'm sure that can be arranged," I answered calmly."Well, then we should arrange it. I want to go home. I'll come back. I'll marry whoever they tell me to marry. I just need to see my parents first," she sobbed."I'll get that arranged now," I promised.I got on my phone, sending out a handful of texts and emails. I let more of the guards, a few diplomats, and some of the Boldovan contacts I had know that Aurora wanted to go home. I told them that in light of recent events, she would be going back to Reyna a little sooner than expected. I also made sure that they knew she was safe, and that the visit would be brief at best. They helped me set up accommodations before lea

*Genevieve*Bradley had confirmed what I knew I needed to do. I would do my best to keep Aurora safe, but saving Rowan's life would be my new priority. Saving his life would probably save Budge's life too, if what Jonah and the other man had said about Budge was true. I fully believed that Budge would give his own life to save Rowan. So, that was at least two people I could save by not letting Aurora get away with this.She seemed different this time around. She'd been guilty of spending money a little frivolously before, but she was carrying trunks full of things she had bought while we were back at Reyna. Aurora's comment about setting herself apart from the common people started playing on repeat in my head. In a matter of a week and a half, Jonah had convinced her to waste money the way the king and queen did. It made me sick.Rowan was waiting on the steps of the palace when we pulled up. I was thrilled to see him, but I contained my joy. Aurora barely looked up from the mag

Waking up the next morning, I felt light as air and heavy as bricks all at once. I stretched, yawned, and rolled out of bed. Getting up and ready felt like a haze as if I were still dreaming.They had managed to get the repairs done to the dining hall while we were gone for the weekend. I was impressed with how seamless everything looked when Aurora and I got to the dining hall."Thank goodness they got this done so quickly. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to have the wedding and still have chunks of the ceiling missing," Aurora giggled as she walked to make herself a plate.That sounded so out of place for her. When we had first arrived, she had been fairly quiet, but she had seemed like she really cared about people. The more she came out of her shell, the more I started to dislike what I was seeing.Once, as a teenager, I had been in a relationship with an older man. I didn't exactly have anyone around to warn me what a terrible idea it was, and I had gotten in over my