The Never List

Rylee Gray crossed the border into Leaf and Claw City. She is immediately hailed by Turner, an enforcer who reminds her that she is not permitted to be in the city and that her elegant, borrowed clothing transgresses laws about wearing “clothes above [her] station” (27). While Rylee previously enjoyed a sexual relationship with Turner, she now finds his domineering character alarming. Turner mocks her for trying to enter the Choosing, an event where the princes of Lumathyst will select a potential mate. Rylee intends to sneak in to find her sister, ignoring Turner’s claims that Erin is already dead. Rylee agrees to meet Turner for sex later, though she does not intend to keep the promise. She is glad she didn’t inadvertently reveal her “secret” of being a “demi,” or someone with magic.

Rylee arrives at her friend Ivy Parcell’s house and struggles to shake off the encounter with Turner. Ivy shows Rylee invitations to The Choosing Ceremony, which states that participants who enter the Choosing are taking on a “binding contract,” and they should not enter unless they give “enthusiastic consent” to sexual acts with their hosts, the Legends of Chaos (32). Ivy’s invitation is real; Rylee’s is a convincing counterfeit.