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Back Copper Chain Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Hated Nikolas? No. I never did. He was always kind to me. It was only when they killed his wife and child that he changed. I never blamed him for it.’

There was silence for a time, before Isobel spoke again.

‘Dion . . . May I call you that?’

‘Of course.’

‘I’ll understand. If you . . . If you need time.’

Dion watched the waves tumble onto the sandy shore, and then sighed. ‘She would want me to be happy. My uncle’s right. I need to move on.’

He was pensive, before turning toward Isobel, staring into her intelligent eyes. ‘You know, you’re the only person I’ve ever spoken to like this. And I only just met you.’

Isobel chuckled. ‘Well, we both know what your uncle and my father are trying to do.’ She became serious. ‘But let’s just start with getting to know each other. For now, my verdict is that this first meeting has gone very well.’

‘I would agree,’ Dion said with a smile.

‘And you’re as handsome as they said you were,’ she said, climbing to her feet. ‘Now, I’m only here for a few days. We should both make the best of our time. I hear there’s a waterfall in the hills, not far from the city. Would you like to show it to me?’

‘I would.’ Dion laughed.

She took him by the hand, pulling him up.

14

14

Chloe’s eyes shot open. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She was lying on her pallet, in the dormitory at Athos. Her gaze flickered to the open window, seeing from the faintest beginnings of light that it was sometime before dawn.

Wondering what had woken her, she sat up when she heard shouts, fierce male voices, distant, but growing louder by the moment.

Something was happening.

She rolled out of bed and threw on clothing. Leaving her room, she immediately ran down the long corridor leading to the dormitory’s exit, passing empty room after empty room. She cried out, even though the four brothers generally woke long before her. ‘Wake up! Something’s wrong!’

Out in the open, surrounded by the ancient ruins, she cocked her head, listening. She finally gazed up at the hillside, toward the western side of the island. The shouts were coming from the direction of Seer’s Cove.

For a moment she hesitated. But when she heard another bellow, sounding closer than any before it, her gaze alighted on the grove of trees near the hill’s crest. Rather than climb the slope directly, she began to sprint toward the thin strip of evergreens, where she could see from the screen of trees in the way she had before.

Chloe was breathless by the time she reached the crest. She weaved through the trees, and as soon as she had a vantage of the opposite side of the island and the hillside descending to Seer’s Cove, she stopped in shock.