“You should really hide your stuff better.” I smirk as I take it back.

His voice gets darker.

“Where. Did. You. Find. It?”

I met his gaze evenly. “We need to talk.”

They waited until it was a little further into the night. The bar they chose was popular, but most of the inhabitants were drunk or had left by the time they had arrived.

“So what makes you think you have the right to snoop around ...

They stood at two ends of a battlefield, smoke and ashes blowing across the bare field. Any life had long ago been stripped from this place, and even the crows who circled above looked haggard.

She watched her enemy carefully. Her fiancé, Logan Stall, the King of Coran, stood beside her, fully clad in his armor. He carried a long sword, gleaming in the meager amount of sunlight peeking through th...

She hurried through the streets. “Please let there be time,” she whispered to herself as she got closer to her destination.

“What are you doing?” The voice floated through the air toward her, but she didn’t stop. She knew what he wanted. She started to run.

“I see how it is.” The voice came again, and someone stepped into her path. A guy around her age wearing a dark overcoat and dark glasses wa...

“I’d like a a Carmel macchiato with three pumps of caramel and only one pump of hazelnut.” He spoke quickly as his eyes scanned the menu. “And a piece of chocolate cake.”

She watched him evenly, her expression neutral. It was five minutes until they closed. No one else was here. Who ordered a coffee at 4:55?

“Will that be all sir?” She questioned politely. He nodded curtly. “Yes.” He paid, and s...

She knew they weren’t telling the truth. She was too tired. Too slow. Too weak. It made her angry, being lied to. It made her feel small and helpless. She gritted her teeth as she lay in bed. They had made every effort to make her comfortable. When it has first come on, her and her husband had moved to her brothers property where he had access to the best healers. Her children visited often, bring...

He watched her disappear down a dark alleyway. The same one she had visited last week. Ordinarily he wouldn’t have followed her, but something was off.

She was the nicest person he knew, always full of light and joy. She took rude clients without complaint, and handled the situation so well they were laughing with her a few minutes later.

Ariana was a star, shining though the dreary world.

Afte...

The wailing started soon after their first discovery of the wave. It was huge, and headed straight for them. As Eliot faced the receding sea, his heartbeat thudded with the gong of the bells. His brother was up there, ringing and ringing and ringing, until everyone was away from danger. But not Eliot. He waited. He knew his brother would be the last to evacuate.

Crying near him drew his attention...

The knock on the door was weak, but she still came. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped as she took in the scene after opening the door.

“Hey,” I said, hands pressed to my stomach to staunch the bleeding. “Can I get some help?”

“O-of course.” Her voice was shaky, but she widened the door so I could pass by her. I knew the way to the pantry, where they kept the medical supplies. She pulled the...