I yanked my hand back, fleeing Cole’s warmth as if burned.
Even when I reached the Grand Hall, the ache in my chest lingered.
—Cole.
The boy I had once loved with all the reckless devotion of my youth.
But some fates are not meant to be.
Mya’s Palace
She looked well that day, her smile easing the tightness in my chest.
“Back already?”
I sat by her side, pressing gently at her shoulders.
“Mm. Ruby didn’t make things hard for me.”
Her fingers brushed my hair, tender as always.
“My Nina is so kind… I heard you fell into the lake. Are you well? No sickness?”
Her face was lined with worry.
I quickly shook my head.
“Don’t worry, Elder. I’ve already taken medicine.”
The truth was, after three years in the Blood Wash Grounds, I had grown used to cold that gnawed at bone.
A plunge i
