The dagger punctured Akasha’s chest. Carissa had expected her dagger to thud against bone and slice flesh, but beneath her skin, there seemed to be… nothing. Red engulfed Akasha’s irises, and Carissa lurched back from her. Black fog rushed from everywhere—her wounds, her mouth, her nose—producing a terrible screeching noise as it fled. Akasha’s skin…

Rapid footsteps pattered against the floor. She began to rise, until Elon squeezed her waist, and she settled back down. Akasha had to think they weren’t expecting her. The chill grew stronger at her back, and Carissa suppressed a shiver as her body stiffened. Judging from Elon’s strong grip on her waist, he didn’t want…

Carissa knew exactly what to do. She hauled in a deep breath before putting the first—and only—part of her plan into action: running to Elon. He was just rounding a darkened corner as she caught up, her hand slipping into his. The frigid feeling fled as suddenly as it’d come, and she felt sheepish about…

Their exit of the embassy was much more subtle than the entry. After mounting their horse, they slipped around the back of the stables before weaving through the half-timbered stucco and stone houses. Above her, the wind whipped the clouds into a frothy foam. Around her, a cool breeze rustled women’s skirts and swung the…

For the first time in weeks, there was no pressing urge to awake quickly, either to meet a man in the evening or escape from him in the morning. She let her body melt into the mattress beneath her, luxuriating in its caress. Something moved against her, warm and solid, swelling and falling beneath her…

Elon rolled off of her and began coughing into the crook of his elbow. “Oh!” She sat up and crept over to him. “I’m so sorry, Elon.” He coughed a few more times before pausing to massage the front of his neck. “You’re quite strong, you know.” Heat singed her cheeks. “I’m so terribly sorry….

She broke the surface of the water, her hair pouring down her shoulders and back in watery streams. The man sputtered and coughed as he sat up. “Fall. But I suppose you already know that now.” He was far too close. She gripped the sides of the tub, preparing to launch herself out, but the…

Elon nodded. “I did.” His cool response set her blood boiling. She launched to her feet. “But… why? Why allow him to enter this room or see me like…this?” She gestured to her lingerie. “And why allow him to escape? He didn’t deserve to go free.” Elon held his chin as he regarded her. “Carissa,…

She stumbled back against, calves banging against the chair, her breath thick in her throat. She shook her head and shoved a laugh from her lips, though it sounded more like a croak. “You’re in the jailhouse; you can’t touch me.” “Wrong—on both accounts. After you left with the princeling, I realized that if you…

The painlessness was intoxicating. Every breath, every step, was euphoria. Carissa slipped away from Elon to walk a few steps by herself. But walking wasn’t merely enough; she wanted to run. Carissa clutched the sheet to her chest and darted across the room before stopping short of the wall. She glanced back at Elon. He…