Blood poured through my fingertips, cascading a bright and angry red as it spilled down the injured slave’s dark forearm. It landed in fat, quick falling drops upon the white marble floor.

“Hold him!” I ordered, but the novice helping me had gone green. I turned to another. “Epione, I need help.”

The more experienced healer rushed over in a whirlwind of pale robes.

“How did this happen?” I demanded.

An officer stood stony-faced on the other side of the infirmary cot. “The Emperor volunteered his own workers to aid the priestesses in the preparation for the Trials—” He paused, eyes drawn to the golden mark on my brow—the triple moon encased by the sun, the morning star shining in its center.

Even the blood spattered across my face could not hide what I was.

“For your Trials, I suppose. Forgive me, Lady Aurora,” he went on. “I did not realize it was you. This is hardly an appropriate place to find a Korai—”

The slave groaned beneath my hands.

“Yes, yes. But what happened to this man?”

He blinked at me, the corners of his lips turning down. “The arena needed repairs,” he said, as if that explained all.

And in a manner, it did. The slave had obviously been crushed by a falling stone. Because of me. Because, now that I’d reached my nineteenth birthday, a husband must be found for me. And how that would happen? The Trials—a set of three contests said to be as cruel as they were creative.

Heat spread through my blood. Flames pounded through my pulse. I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing in deep, counting to ten. The last thing I needed was to start a fire in the infirmary.

“But . . . my lady . . .” My eyes opened, sliding to the officer. He swallowed. “This is the strongest slave under my command. I must have him. Can you mend him quickly?”

I studied the Imperial more closely. There was a certain faint aura around him that was familiar. It lingered beneath my own skin each time I looked in a mirror. “You’re a God-Blooded. If you are in such a hurry to finish your task, you’re strong enough. Do it yourself.”

He smiled nervously. Then, realizing I was serious, frowned. “Surely you jest.”

The man twisted beneath me, his pain an agonized moan. I didn’t have time to argue with the Imperial. “Get out.”

“My lady . . .”

“Shall I inform the General Prince that you didn’t obey me?”

He turned as green as the novice had a moment before. Without another word, he bowed and backed toward the infirmary doors.

Epione looked at me, a strand of dark hair falling over hazel eyes. “You aren’t very good at making friends, are you, my lady?”

I offered her the smallest of smiles. “Let’s just see if we can save his arm, shall we?”

She gave me a nod. And, while healing this wound would have been impossible for a normal healer, I wasn’t exactly human.

I went to work.

Warm light flickered to life at my fingertips, setting them aglow with the rosy luminance of dawn. The tingle of magic ran down my arms and I began the arduous work of stitching crushed bones and jellied muscles back together.

Sometime later, the man slept, nestled in a clean cot beneath a row of lofty windows that showed a darkening sky. His arm lay bandaged, resting across his chest.

Epione wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of a crimson hand. “That was excellently done.”

I sighed, weary eyes moving over the infirmary. It stretched before me—an oblong room with high, vaulted ceilings. Cots, mostly empty, were spread throughout the chamber. But with the Trials beginning, they would soon likely be full. Writhing knots filled my stomach at the thought. “Yes, well, now that the Trials are beginning, I doubt I’ll be able to sneak away so much.”

Epione’s smile became sad, pitying. “I don’t envy you. Being a Korai… I know it comes with plenty of luxuries but I’m not sure they outweigh the cost.”

My laugh was brittle. “What? Sharing my power with a husband I don’t have any say in choosing?” I shuddered, the fear that had been following me for months taking over. “Let’s just pray the right competitor wins.”

Epione nodded. “I’ll make an offering to Eos at sunrise. I’m sure the goddess is watching over you.”

My heart clenched, the nerves in my stomach turning to something sour and hard. “Don’t waste your time going to the Temple of the Dawn. My mother isn’t in the habit of answering anyone’s prayers.”

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to try.”

I thought of the many times I’d prayed to her—prayed to hear her voice, prayed that the goddess would deign to visit me, her lowly, half-divine offspring. I didn’t have the heart to tell Epione that sometimes, it indeed did hurt to try.

The creak of ancient hinges echoed through the long chamber. Epione’s attention shifted to the doorway. She straightened and backed away from me. “General Prince,” she greeted with a deferential nod.

I spun, the heat that was always alive within me shooting sparks through my chest. “Varian.”

Varian walked further into the room and everything else faded into the background as his presence filled the space. Eyes a vivid, sky-blue, moved over me. His brow lifted at the blood that soaked my skirt and dried in iron flakes upon my hands. “Really, Aurora? It’s your birthday and I find you here, covered in blood.” He shook his head, smile teasing. “You should be dressing for the feast.”

I returned his measuring look. His short blond hair was mussed, cheeks pink from a windy ride. Dust coated his boots and the fine red tunic he wore bore more than a few wrinkles from hard wear. But despite everything, I grinned. “You smell like horse.”

His laugh was clear and ringing. Butterflies pumped their tiny, fluttering wings through my stomach in answer. “Apologies, darling, but I’ve only just arrived. I wanted to make sure I greeted you before the celebration.”

I glanced at the tall windows, where the moon now showed her pale face. “Competitors have been arriving all day, or so I’ve heard.” I turned back to him, eyes narrowed. “What was it you promised me? Oh, yes . . You said you’d be the first competitor to enter the palace and the last to leave it.”

“Forgive me?” His smile was rueful. “Half of Hyperion took to the streets this morning to wish me luck. It was near midday when I reached the city gates.”

Though I’d never been allowed to pass beyond the walls of my birthplace--the Celestial City--my heart thrilled at the thought of citizens lining the streets of the capital for love of their prince, and perhaps soon, his bride.

Bride and mate. Tied, forever. If Varian managed to win, that was.

Suddenly, my stomach dropped. The flutter of excitement turned to jittering nerves. My smile faltered, and I forced it back into place. “Well, as you said, it is my birthday. Did you at least bring me a present to smooth things over?”

He stepped closer until only a few inches separated us. “Oh, my darling . . . there are more presents than you can imagine.” His eyes gleamed, dangerous and hungry. My toes curled within the confines of their blood-stained slippers. “But they are all waiting for you in the capital.”

“You know, I only go to the capital if you win the Trials.”

“Oh, it’s not if I win you, darling, it’s when.”