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Chapters (58)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Part One
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Part Two: Three Months Later
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-one
  27. Part Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-two
  29. Chapter Twenty-three
  30. Chapter Twenty-four
  31. Chapter Twenty-five
  32. Chapter Twenty-six
  33. Chapter Twenty-seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-one
  38. Chapter Thirty-two
  39. Chapter Thirty-three
  40. Chapter Thirty-four
  41. Chapter Thirty-five
  42. Chapter Thirty-six
  43. Chapter Thirty-seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-eight
  45. Chapter Thirty-nine
  46. Chapter Forty
  47. Chapter Forty-one
  48. Chapter Forty-two
  49. Chapter Forty-three
  50. Chapter Forty-four
  51. Chapter Forty-five
  52. Chapter Forty-six
  53. Chapter Forty-seven
  54. Chapter Forty-eight
  55. Epilogue
  56. Acknowledgments
  57. About the Author
  58. Keep Reading for a Sneak Peek at Umbertouched

I break off as I think back over the past few weeks. The other me does indeed think highly of her. Maybe too highly. I suppress a shiver. It’s wrong, living two lives. The whole thing feels unstable.

Zivah meets my eyes, and I know she knows what I’m thinking. She opens her mouth, though it takes her a while to find words. “Dineas,” she says. “I know I’ve grown to be close friends with you in your other state. But I want you to know that I would never take advantage—”

I cut her off with a shake of my head. “I don’t want to talk about it. Just do your part, and I’ll do mine.”

Chapter Thirty-five

The conversation with Dineas leaves me completely drained. As the potion begins to wear off, I have him lie down and close his eyes. I watch him toss and turn on the mat, his eyes squeezed shut as he waits for his burden to fade, and my heart breaks for him, for what he had to do, and the guilt that he must forever endure.

Gradually, he loses his agitation. The weight that was there just moments ago lifts off. I realize, an instant before his eyes open, that I need to calm myself as well. I’m deeply shaken by our last encounter, and I can’t quite quell the sense that we’re courting disaster. Thankfully, Dineas is too disoriented upon first waking to notice anything wrong. By the time he sits up, I’ve wiped my palms on my apron and wiped my face blank.

“How do you feel?” I ask.

“Groggy…and heavy.” He shakes off the potion and stands up, rubbing his forehead.

“Dineas,” I say, a bit too loudly.

“Yes?”

“You know you can talk to me, don’t you?” I say. “If there’s anything you don’t feel comfortable discussing with the other soldiers, or with Arxa.”

For the first time, he betrays a bit of tension. “What do you mean?”

I pause, hoping that I’m taking the correct approach.

“You seem bothered by something. Is it the campaign? Something afterward?”

He looks at me, stunned. “I hadn’t realized I was so easy to read.”

“I don’t think you are. But I’ve been trained to pay attention.”

He takes in my words, wrestling with some decision, then abruptly starts pacing back and forth. “Can I trust you? No, I’m sorry. Of course I can. You’re probably the person I can trust the most.”

If only he knew the layers of lies that surround us.