ia

lid down the collar of my gown, turning the fine linen to a sheet of iron a

ars. A man's pity is far mor

earned the true, horrifi

ck to the nightmare I had

She had been exiled to the Rogue wasteland, a ba

had been

d a severe illness. She had pretended

ad bribed a guard to deli

a bloodied winter

t only spoke of her pure, tragic love for Julian, and

class in emotio

s guilt consumed him entirely. H

dy for days, drinking bottles of

so worrie

t spirits and a man's despair. Julian sat on the floor, his eyes glowing with the fierce, bloody red light of a broken A

ed at me, his voice thick with tears and rage. "If you ha

a shaking finger at me and yelled that the Moon

toward him, reaching

and brushed his sho

not touch me!" he bellowed, his massive h

k slammed violently into the h

y ears, followed by an ag

e floor, gas

ood filled the air. It soaked through my dr

long-awaited

Ju

ad done, he did not stay t

essively searching for Elara's fake remains-remains tha

to a toxic chain of hatred that bound

"evidence" so she could return as a miracle survivor. She had never been in danger. She had never been

wind brought me b

owy courtyard, my

lower belly. A cold dread, sharp

nd over my stomach, sending

ife growing inside me. "Mommy is here.

o low only the wind could hear, "I know you