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Back The Ones We Burn Save as PDF
Chapters (93)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Part One: Skra: Sixty Days Remain
  5. PART ONE SKRA SIXTY DAYS REMAIN
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4 Two weeks later
  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. Part Two: Monster: Twenty-Five Days Remain
  25. PART TWO MONSTER TWENTY-FIVE DAYS REMAIN
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. Part Three: Butcher: Six Days Remain
  40. PART THREE BUTCHER SIX DAYS REMAIN
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. 49
  59. 50
  60. 51
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. Part Four: Bloodwinn: Coup Successful
  64. PART FOUR BLOODWINN COUP SUCCESSFUL
  65. 54
  66. 55
  67. 56
  68. 57
  69. 58
  70. 59
  71. 60
  72. 61
  73. 62
  74. 63
  75. 64
  76. 65
  77. 66
  78. 67
  79. 68
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80 EPILOGUE Three months later
  92. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  93. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“I thought…” Aramis shook her head. “We grew up with power. With everything we could have ever wanted. We were spoiled as children—but Foldrey never treated us as special. I hated him for it sometimes, truly. He could have been fired, or worse, for the way he spoke to us sometimes. But he was always honest.” She wrapped her arms around her knees. “He always loved us, in the end.”

A lump formed in Ranka’s throat. Somewhere overhead, seabirds cried. This land, this people, this girl, they were all so different from what she’d always known—but the pain was familiar. Ranka didn’t know why that was a comfort—that she could cross the continent, could leave behind everything she knew, and their hearts still broke the same.

“Sometimes,” Ranka said slowly, her words coming from far away. “The people we love aren’t worthy of it. They betray our history, take away hope for any future that might have been. But it doesn’t change what they gave us. Not if we don’t want it to. And the knowing—the truth of it, that they weren’t who you thought? That you didn’t know sooner? It doesn’t make it any more our fault.”

Tears dripped from Aramis’s chin.

“It’s not worth torturing yourself over why you loved them, why you love them still,” Ranka murmured. She looked away, and when she spoke, it was not a princess in a sun-soaked land she saw, but a girl in the north, a girl among the trees, a coven beyond the mountains, a sister, a mother, a family. The words kept coming.

“Why do we love anyone?” Ranka whispered. “It usually isn’t logical, and it’s not always right. But I don’t think we’re usually given a choice. Love doesn’t just disappear. Even if you want it to. Even if it would be easier for everyone involved.”

“I am so angry,” Aramis whispered. “I am so, so angry at you. At both of you.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want to be, and that makes it worse. He was my family. You were my friend, Ranka.”

“You were mine.”

“You were my friend, and then you—we—I thought…”

Neither could give air to what both were thinking: that friend didn’t even come close to describing what they’d dared to feel, knowing the impossibility of it all. Knowing the cost.

“You love her,” Percy had said, so simply, as though he’d been noting the color of the sky.

She did.

It was terrifying. It should never have happened.

But she did.