Rows of lights glowed along the street; under the night sky, the central square buzzed with joy and laughter.
Cole stood in front of the stall selling silk flowers from the eastern lands, buying a single rose identical to the one I’d just been wearing.
Lily’s eyes lit up, a flush rising in her cheeks.
She thought he was buying it for her. She waited, heart racing.
But Cole just stared at the flower in his hand, unmoving.
Ah!
A scream cut through the crowd.
In an instant, the noisy square split open as people stumbled back, making way.
A woman covered in blood staggered into view.
Cole’s brows snapped together; he lifted his head with a frown.
That face... looked familiar.
—Laural.
His pupils constricted. A wave of dread shot through his mind.
“Nina...”
“Cole, do you think thi
