I was on the edge of my seat, leaning forward, as the driver handed our IDs over to the guards at the massive black metal gate that barred the Court compound from the surrounding dense forest. The secrecy and security were just as intense as when I’d come to sign up for the Gathering. The guard returned our documents and ordered us inside. The car was barely through the gate when it began to close. It was evident that no one could come in—or leave—without the Court Guards allowing it. Carlo had had to wait outside the gate for verification, and a smile crossed my face. Now that I was inside the Court walls, the fact that I would be seeing him again soon felt more real.

As we made the long drive through the woods, I recognized some of the buildings from photos Kris had shown me of the Court. Her family owned both a suite and a mansion inside the Royal High Court—a secluded, heavily guarded area where many of the Royals lived.

The Royals’ building—the Royal Quarters—looked gigantic even from a distance, like a European castle. When I had signed up for the Gathering, I had been given a handbook that explained how I could enter the quarters as an invited guest of a Royal, but that there were rooms and archives that only Pure Royals could enter by proving their lineage—a drop of blood, maybe? They didn’t let Regulars in on the details.

Next to the Royals’ castle was the beyond-boring building for the Regulars who worked at Court—it screamed all business, no glamour. The stark contrast between the two buildings served as a reminder of how Regulars were treated so differently from those of royal blood.

As the car made a final turn, the Hyped came into view. The Hyped was where Regulars who lived outside of Court could stay during the Gathering. Most of the events would take place there as well. From the outside, it looked like a five-star hotel, galloping impossibly high up to the low-lying clouds, at least thirty floors tall. To be honest, I’d been expecting something old, something that looked like it had been there for centuries, but boy, was I wrong. It was completely modern. And it would be my home for the entire month of December.

We finally made it through the lush, forested drive and the driver parked the car in front of the Hyped before getting out to help us unload our luggage.

“Lady Ambrosia.” A polite smile accompanied my dad’s overly formal greeting to Kris as he offered his hand to help her out of the limo. Watching her back, I knew she was fighting back a cringe. “Do you wish for me to accompany you to your family unit? I’d be happy to oblige.”