The man stayed on one knee. I stared at the royal crest on his collar and felt something cold move through my chest.

"Get up," I said.

His eyes lifted to mine. Ice-blue. Calm. Measuring. He stood immediately. That mattered more than the kneeling had.

"Name."

"Cassi

We did not go to the capital. Not yet. The eastern barrier had been breached less than an hour ago. One rogue was still alive. Royal weapons had been found on the dead. And I had spent the morning discovering that my husband had replaced me before deciding I was ap

Mira refused the first room. Then the second. By the time we reached the small medical suite beside the old infirmary, even Ronan had stopped pretending her resistance was normal.

"I said no," Mira repeated. She had both hands over her stomach again. "I don't consent to Elen