Bloomsbury Publishing

Forget how you feel,’ she said. ‘Forget what other people think. Pretend you are an actress on the stage. Speak with confidence, do not care how your words land and they will land well. People are mostly thinking of themselves. Decide who you want to be, who you want to show the world, and be that person. You can be anybody, my Violet. You have the power to present yourself to the world exactly how you wish to be seen.’

That one word: H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D. Promising so much, stealing everything.

And now here I am, in this place of wild women, where the rats grow fat as my hope wastes away.

There were so many hidden feelings between us and the good ones were rapidly fading like stars at dawn.

erase him from my memory

Don’t. Touch. Her.”
“You don’t give me orders, witch,” Lorcan said. “And you have no say in what is between us.”
Elide frowned at him. “You’re making it worse.”
“We like to call it ‘territorial male nonsense,’” Aelin confided. “Or ‘territorial Fae bastard’ works just as nicely.”
The Fae Prince coughed pointedly behind her.
The queen looked over a shoulder, brows raised. “Am I forgetting another term of endearment?”
The warrior-prince’s eyes glowed, even as his face remained set with predatory intent. “I think you covered it.”
Aelin winked at Lorcan. “You hurt her, and I’ll melt your bones,” she merely said, and walked away.

And tell Rowan,” Aelin said, fighting her own sob, “that I’m sorry I lied. But tell him it was all borrowed time anyway. Even before today, I knew it was all just borrowed time, but I still wish we’d had more of it.” She fought past her trembling mouth. “Tell him he has to fight. He must save Terrasen, and remember the vows he made to me. And tell him … tell him thank you—for walking that dark path with me back to the light.”

Tell my Elide I love her very much.’”

‘There now.’ He smoothed her wispy fringe from her clammy forehead. ‘You need to breathe and try and relax your muscles, and remember that you’re a warrior, like your mum.’

“Beautiful.” But he isn’t looking at the necklace.