For some girls, age eighteen is the magical age of freedom and independence. For Aerys, turning eighteen means an arranged marriage to a man she's never met before, leaving the only home she's ever known, and accidentally discovering things she never knew about the world, about her family, and about herself, things that have been lurking beneath the surface all along. However, each new discovery brings new questions with it, and the answers could lead in some very dangerous directions. She and her fiancé, Dmitri, must decide whether or not to find the answers to these questions and what to do with the knowledge they gain. To change the game instead of living by others' rules, they must look beyond what they see.

Look Beyond What You See

"Aerys...Back to reality, sweetheart," the familiar enthralling masculine voice invites me. The darkness around me is warm, comforting, safe, but nevertheless I find myself swimming out of its blissful embrace to join the voice elsewhere. My eyes flutter open to see amber flames, somehow emanating concern instead of heat, against a backdrop of pearls on black velvet. Where am I?

"What happened?" I mumble. Dmitri s face materialises from the flames, which still flicker in his eyes, mesmerising me. He laughs gently at me with a smile that does not penetrate his flaming irises.

"Of all the things you could have done when I kissed you, fainting was the last thing I expected," he answers, a hint of bitterness underlying his teasing tone.

Chapter 16 The Kiss