Xaden's pov

I paused at Violet's door, deliberating whether to follow her inside. Frowning, I withdrew instead to my study. News of how cannibals infiltrating the surrounding villages had reached me. When I thought of how Violet nearly died yesterday, my bones cracked.

Images of ripped opened bodies flashed through my mind. As I investigated the cause of the sudden attack on the villages, I found traces of the same breeds of cannibals that had accosted Violet the time I met her in the woods. ...