In all the time I had known Higan, I thought of him as vain, shallow, and arrogant. Despite him being my supposed mate, I could never understand what about Higan was meant for me. Especially as I grew to realize his affinity for petty cruelty.

Yet there he was. Nothing more but a boy planted right at the edge of a nightmare of his own making, pleading with his shame-filled eyes.

I could feel Ethan’s mind pushing to read mine, but it was now a steel trap snapping shut around ...