HE THREE A

he Stranger

W WHERE

d to burn throu

seconds, n

ned toward th

e guards at the northern and eastern borders.

Your M

t who sent t

bowed and

d toward h

n patrol. Lucien, I want the royal

her?" Damon aske

s settled

stays

ded m

that as if I ha

brothers l

even though my h

p talking about prophecies and people who want me dead, but n

s mouth, but Ka

ought he would ord

said, "You

lin

ha

ia. You have no reas

caught me

ed toward

ds outside your room. You will not leave the palace grounds, a

pau

anything, tel

he

ered besid

believes giving orders is the sa

otic

ugged at

. I'll come

ed his br

n rem

taring at the broken glass

him for

ng to threat

tur

e you feel be

I would know

ickered in h

he bed, stopping j

ppens between you and my brothers, d

ach tig

ou telling

ou believe you belong to som

red a

eaking from

ession d

t, I thought he mig

he lean

your life, sta

e walk

slammed b

s, staring at t

ad claimed me

ed to pr

alive, though I couldn't tell whe

me as though my existenc

der

the center of a royal disaster b

down at

had faded, leaving only

you?" I

nt, nothin

ice answered i

inher

ked u

's t

le

d toward

ered. Nobody stoo

tbeat q

said

any questions

d at my

osing m

ation stirred

like la

t

d an explanation, th

ying to convince myself that exhaus

I climbed

eded

ed to

I needed to find a w

wardrobe. Inside were dozens of dres

eady decided wh

aside until I found

I slipped toward

ds stood

u going, miss

d a bat

uard glanced

ne inside

red a

rse th

oing to fin

guard

igh

want br

he lower floor. We'll have

walk ther

that's not

m one guard

now you're keepi

uard cleare

ave us specifi

happens if

esit

make this di

d witho

haven't seen

to the bedroom an

i

s guarded, I would f

lcony or a servant's

window and examine

dens lay sever

ar to

l and noticed a narrow door parti

art l

ret p

room and tur

ened with a

or lined with portraits of

pped

licked shu

nce arriving at Black

tective kings wouldn't be as

l steps down

heard a

w gr

fr

om the dar

I called

ans

have tu

ard until I reached a doo

moonlight spilled

hed i

ately wish

center of the room

d in black, and cov

his

two guards l

eath

owly turne

ar, but his eyes were

e

t, unnat

d when h

e you

bled b

are

ed the q

g me as though I were something he h

ttle Mo

od ran

ou know t

a step t

other begged me

d seemed

mot

e mention her withou

did yo

iled

man, Aria. She believed she c

rled around t

u know abou

recious kings wil

anothe

ed to

ved f

he next, his hand closed around my throat, lif

t throug

d at hi

me

aned

fore she died. Something that belongs t

gled to

ha

d eyes

r bl

f heat exploded

k on my wrist

r's smile d

uddenly that I cras

e hell a

bled ba

und me bega

m, deep and powerful, like thu

er stared

first time, he

"You weren't suppo

hts sha

swallowed

the ma

l with enough force to s

voice roared thr

RI

lled me away f

that

a

Damon rushed into the room behind h

enter

und the stranger lying

e?" Damon

idn't

looking

oat, examining the bruis

rible flicker

e hurt

eak, but my t

xpressio

erous growl

e stranger be

horribl

nded by royal guards, he

oo late,

urned

spat blood on

l has aw

drew hi

s who s

laughe

on't underst

es shifted

me are already in

uted from t

her screa

tely rushed t

ned his hol

the stranger, his

an they're insi

ranger

he royal

nt comple

ldest of the three kings l

sery had been locked

supposed to k

f Cha