“Do you remember that night in the Aurora Keep when we went on the balcony? It was a night just like this,” he says as I open my eyes to peer at him. “You rocked my entire fucking world that night.”

“You did a number on mine, too,” I say with a laugh. He draws me close and kisses my temple. Then I look up and pull his head towards mine, staring into the endless depths of his eyes.

“I remember,” I whisper softly against his lips.

“I remember everything.”

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Why is this the hardest part? They say it takes a village and there are few places where that’s more true than when it’s time to publish a book.

A big thank-you to Madeleine Colavita, my editor at Forever. I think this almost killed us both, but we did it. Somehow, we did. I can’t wait to continue this journey and dive into what comes next. I’m not sure how you aren’t sick of me yet.

To my agent, Lauren Spieller, you are truly the best. Thank you for supporting me. For seeing the big picture. For understanding all of my goals and dreams. It was SO fun finally meeting you in person in DC, and I felt like I could have talked to you for four more hours and still not run out of things to say.

Thank you to Estelle Hallick and Dana Cuadrado, my publicists at Forever. Your kindness and enthusiasm don’t go unnoticed, and I can’t believe all the exciting things I get to do this year thanks to you.

To Nadia Saward, my UK editor at Orbit, thank you for being so lovely and supportive. I’m so excited to see your own debut out in the world! It was amazing. People are going to love it.

A massive shout-out to Soneela Nankani, Corvin King, and Shane East for bringing Lor, Nadir, and Gabriel to life on the audiobooks. You all were absolute perfection in these roles. You were exactly as I pictured them.

Also, thank you to Miblart for all these fantastic covers. When I first commissioned them, I truly didn’t think they’d end up in bookstores all over the world. The fact that everyone has kept them for each edition is a testament to your fantastic work.

A thank-you to the whole teams at Forever and Folio Lit, especially the foreign rights team, for all your expertise and guidance.

And of course, to my readers—none of this would be possible without you. I’m so glad that Lor and Nadir and the others have found a place in your hearts.