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Back Seasons of Chaos Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. Epilogue
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. About the Author
  68. Books by Elle Cosimano
  69. Back Ad
  70. About the Publisher

“When was the last time you heard from her?” I hear myself ask.

“A long time ago. We had an argument.” Kai glances up, mistaking my stunned silence for curiosity. “Ruby blamed me for what happened to us. The fire was my fault. I left a candle burning in our room and the window was cracked, and the curtain . . .” She closes her eyes with a shudder. “Ruby could always hold a grudge, but after that . . . well, she never really forgave me for that. She never wanted to be here, but I thought maybe . . .” Kai’s sigh is heavy. “I thought maybe we could get past it, but Ruby stopped writing back, and after a while, Lyon stopped offering to pass letters for me anyway.”

I swallow back the sick taste in my mouth. Kai thought her sister stopped writing because she was angry. But what if she stopped writing and Lyon stopped offering to be their go-between because her sister was dead?

Kai’s gaze drops to her hands. “When I was promoted to the Guard, I thought I’d get a chance to see her. Guards have so much more freedom of movement, down here and up top, but I was thrown into training so fast and there wasn’t any time. Before they’d even issued me a key to the Crux, I was sent to Cuernavaca to find you. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a cell. And then, when everything blew up with Doug, I had no choice but to run. But I’m here now,” she says defensively, as if she’s afraid I’m judging her for her choices. Only it’s not her I’m judging. I’m judging myself for things she doesn’t know I’ve done. And I’m judging Lyon for keeping them from her. “I came back for my sister,” she says with a stubborn lift of her chin. “And we’re going to find her.”

The hope in her voice is an arrow to my heart. She walks on ahead of me, oblivious to the fact that the person she trusted to bring her here, to help her save her sister, is the very same person who watched her sister die and stole her sister’s magic. No matter how long I’ve spent wanting to jam knives into Kai’s back and make her suffer the way I have, how do I tell her that a piece of her sister’s soul was once tangled up with mine? That it was inside me, staring back at her on that mountain in Cuernavaca?

“How can you be sure she’s still alive?” I call after her.

Kai stops. She turns over her shoulder. “How do you know Fleur’s alive? Or Chill?”

“I don’t.”

“Neither do I,” she says quietly, waiting for me to catch up.

31

How the Cold Creeps

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JACK