Elon’s chair screeched as he scooted it back and dashed to her side. “Carissa—” Once they were out of the house, Carissa slammed the door shut behind them. Elon was, under no circumstances, going back into that seductress’ house. The cool air met Carissa’s hot skin, and she huffed. Perhaps that’d been a bit dramatic,…

“We ought to be heading back towards the palace to complete my training. Haven’t you seen the horizon?” Elon ignored her protests and helped her dismount. “Last night, you’d told the woman who stopped by our house you’d pay a visit in the morning.” She wanted to leave—shake the dust of this town off her…

Carissa shoved open the door to her room, her formerly withheld tears wetting her cheeks. Though words couldn’t break bones, they were certainly capable of bleeding hearts. Arms folded around her. Elon’s. He’d been waiting for her. She sank into his embrace, until she remembered: he had foresight. He’d sent her to her mother, knowing…

Her father had retired, and had it not been for her mother bustling about, the kitchen would have been empty. Carissa plucked a threadbare rag out of a bucket of sudsy water and scrubbed the table. Her mother disappeared out the door, a bowl of potato shavings in hand. When she returned, she swept the…

Elon’s gaze slid to her blood-stained thumb. His brow plummeted in concern as he rushed to her side and cradled her hand between his. “You’re hurt.” He glanced up at her mother. “Do you have any clean water I could use?” Her mother jutted her chin towards the window. “Outside. There’s a well.” Elon tugged…

As Elon strode forward, her gaze remained on the floorboards, her head too heavy to lift. And then they stopped. To her left, her mother’s laced-up leather shoes were visible. To the right, her father’s thicker boots, his trousers stuffed into the tops. The silence was deafening, so much so she was tempted to plug…

Their horse’s hooves thundered against the path, leaving a flurry of dirt in their wake. The horse’s stride was long and smooth—and it was much more enjoyable than a plodding of a walk or the jolting bounce of a trot. Elon’s arm cinched her waist, and though it’d been unpleasant at first, her discomfort was…

If Elon had intended to comfort her, he was doing a rather pitiful job. “But the border didn’t follow Akasha.” “She was only one Reaper.” Carissa whipped around to face him. “How many Reapers are required to move the border?” “Many.” She rubbed the goose bumps from her arms. “But we killed Akasha.” Elon nodded….

One Day Later Carissa tugged on the waistband of the pants, taking back her wish to wear trousers. Trousers were so stifling and baggy. Instead of lightly dusting her legs as she walked, like a skirt would, the fabric wrapped around her legs completely. “Carissa? You do know how to put them on, don’t you?”…

She hated horses, saddles, and dresses, all of which contributed to her discomfort. The horse’s plodding jolted her with every step. The saddle felt like steel against her backside. And, wearing a dress as she was, she was forced to ride sidesaddle. “If you leaned against me and allowed me to support you, you’d be…