SHAWN What? What was happening? What is happening to me? I mused, clutching my chest, feeling the tremendous pain nestling there, puncturing my heart with every thud of my pulse. It was stealing my breath, my words, as Killian leaned in and kissed Elara for the second time—a deep, possessive claim that made the room spin, even as their parents approached the VIP table, the only one of its kind in the entire gala. I had thought this event was where the elite could be equal, even if just for a few hours, but the presence of that table drew all the attention in the room to them. And now the kisses… It was a spectacle that had Silas Viking grinning from ear to ear, his pride radiating across the hall; it was one that solidified the rumors, and knocked nails into the coffin of my com

