Soren knew two things: One, if his father played his cards right, their family could be the next Dovean dynasty and he would be king one day, and two, that he’d give it all up in a heartbeat if it meant Annalise would be free. Maybe I was never meant to have a happy ending….
There were muffled voices on the other side of the door, but the worst of the aggressive edge was gone, and Annalise breathed a sigh of relief. “Soren? Are you still there?” A beat of silence, then a sigh. “Yes, Annalise, I am. The men guarding your door have my sword and won’t let me…
Soren strode through the hallway as fast as he dared. He ignored the titters and greetings of the ladies he passed; he had no time for playing nice when the future of the only woman he cared about hung precariously in the balance. He’d thought he was so smart for paying court to the Rhinnean…
Annalise wrung her hands as she waited in the antechamber of Nelan’s office. It had been almost thirty minutes since she’d requested an audience, and his secretary had not yet returned to his desk. She didn’t know how long it had taken the messenger pigeon to travel to Rea, or if the Rhinnean ambassador had…
Annalise reached Elsabeth’s side and slumped against the door before letting herself slide slowly to the ground. The pleasantly warm room suddenly felt stifling hot and lacking in air, and her face broke out in perspiration. After resting her head against her knees and fighting for several deep breaths, she could finally choke out one…
Family alliances. Betrothals. Honor. The life of an innocent maiden. Much could change in a handful of breaths. Annalise sat at the window of her chambers and watched Soren walk through the snowy garden below. It was far too early in the season for the first of the spring flowers and the only green was…
“Hold on, my dear sir, I did no such thing.” Soren rose to his feet to better face the man on equal footing. The man’s hand fell away, and he stepped back and looked down his nose at Soren, an incredible feat considering Soren was easily a full head taller. “I was reading that novel…
Despite what he told Annalise, Soren kept the romance novel tucked into his coat and didn’t remove it until he was at leisure the next day, lounging in one of the barrack recreation rooms. He hadn’t read for fun in longer than he could remember, and while the book in front of him seemed to…
Late in the morning of the next day, the head butler gave Annalise a tour of the castle. The smooth stone walls, giant tapestries, and coordinated red and gold color scheme were quite impressive, as was the sheer number of fireplaces. As the butler explained and Annalise had already experienced, the winters were bitterly cold…
Raucous laughter rang from the walls of the Rhinnean great hall, the waves of sound pounding into Annalise’s head. After the relative quiet of the woods, the noise made by the crowd of people was almost oppressive. Compared to her aunt’s court, which was best described as merry, or her father’s, which had been much…