Novels by KAIVEN NOIR

It wasn't Damian.It was Garrick, his beta, the man who used to train beside him every morning, the man who stood two steps behind him at the rejection ceremony without saying a single word to stop it."Stay back," Kael said, moving in front of me, but Garrick raised both hands slowly, showing he wasn't holding a weapon."I'm not here to fight you," Garrick said. "I'm here because Damian doesn't know I left the palace."That stopped me cold. My legs were still shaking from the run, my mind still spinning from Vaughn and Ilsa, and now this, another piece of Damian's world showing up uninvited. "What does that mean."Garrick's eyes flicked to Renata, then back to me, like he was deciding how much he could actually say out loud. "It means I've been watching the council for years, waiting for proof of what they did to your family. Tonight, when Renata said Damian's father was involved, something in me finally clicked into place.""Why should we believe a word out of your mouth," Kael said

We were here first," Vaughn snapped, blood dripping from a cut above his eyebrow. "Back off, Draven scum." The woman in front of me didn't even look at him. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, calm in a way that scared me more than Vaughn's whole crew ever did. "I don't take orders from Thorne's leftovers," she said. "My name is Ilsa. I work for Selene." My stomach turned at the name. "Of course you do." "Selene wants you brought in alive," Ilsa said. "Untouched. She was very specific about that part." "Funny," I said. "Since she looked pretty happy watching Damian humiliate me." Something flickered in Ilsa's expression, gone almost as fast as it appeared. "Selene doesn't do anything without a reason. You'll understand that soon enough." Kael limped closer to me, one arm pressed against his ribs, blood soaking through his sleeve. "Elena, whatever happens, don't go with either of them." "That's cute," Vaughn said. "Except you're not really in a position to be giving orders right no

A man stepped out from behind the trees, and the second I saw his face, Kael went rigid beside me like he'd seen a ghost."You," Kael said. Just one word, but it came out low and cold, nothing like the calm voice I'd gotten used to over the last two days.The man smiled like he'd been waiting for that reaction. "Kael. It's been a long time."I looked between them, my heart still pounding from the run, from Damian's voice still echoing somewhere behind us in the trees. "You know him."Kael didn't answer right away. That silence told me more than any answer could have.The stranger wore no colors I recognized, no crest, nothing that marked him as belonging to any kingdom I knew. But four more men stepped out behind him, all watching us the same careful way hunters watch something they've already decided is theirs. My legs were still shaking from the run, from everything with Damian just minutes ago, and now this. It felt like the whole night was just one threat after another, no room to

"Elena!"Hearing him say my name like that, desperate, scared, nothing like the cold voice from the rejection ceremony, made me freeze mid step even though every part of me was screaming to keep running.I turned around before I could stop myself.Damian stood at the edge of the clearing, still in the same black clothes from the ceremony, his men fanned out behind him. He looked different than I remembered from just a day ago. Tired. Almost unsteady on his feet, like he hadn't slept either.Some small, stupid part of me almost felt sorry for him. I hated that part of me right then."Elena." He said my name again, softer this time."Don't," Kael said beside me, his hand tightening around my arm. "We keep moving.""Wait," I said, pulling free.Every instinct in me screamed to run, but something else, something stubborn and angry, wanted answers more than it wanted safety. Around us, Damian's men stood in a loose half circle, hands resting near their weapons but not drawing them, like th

"Your mother didn't just die. She was murdered because of what she could do."I sat up so fast the blanket fell off my shoulders. Morning light was already cutting through the gaps in the tent, and the old woman was sitting across from me like she'd been waiting there for hours, maybe all night. My heart was already pounding before she said another word."I thought we were doing this later," I said."You didn't sleep much. I could hear you tossing from outside." She said it plainly, not unkind, just honest. "I'm Renata. I led what's left of this camp for almost twenty years. And I owe your mother more than I can ever repay her for, so I'm not going to make you wait any longer than I have to."I pulled my knees up to my chest, still wrapped in Marisol's borrowed cloak, and waited. Part of me wanted to stop her before she said another word. The other part of me had been waiting my whole life for someone to tell me the truth."Your mother's name was Adira," Renata said. "She was the stro

"We're here to take you home."Home. I almost laughed at that word. An hour ago home meant a palace with Damian's name on the gates. Now some stranger with glowing eyes was standing in front of me like home was something he could just hand me back."I don't even know you," I said, pulling my knees tighter against my chest.The man in black straightened up and looked back at the others standing behind him. There were five of them. Maybe six. All watching me with the same gold eyes like they were waiting to see what I would do next."My name is Kael," he said. "And you have every right not to trust me. But you're weak right now and it's cold and you can barely stand. So either you come with us or you sit here until Damian's guards find you first."That got me moving.I forced myself up on shaky legs. My whole body still felt raw from the shift, like every muscle had been stretched too far and snapped back too fast. My skin was still cold from the night air and my hair was tangled with l