Novel-novel oleh Lizzy Fash

AUDACUS The council chamber stank of old magic and old pride. It clung to the stones, bleeding into the mortar like the blood of all fools who'd ever sat upon high thrones and imagined that they were invulnerable.I was in the center, hands clasped behind my back, the gravity of a century measured in the loose bend of my shoulders. Ten wizard elders stood around me, faces etched with lines made of centuries, eyes filmed over by complacency. The robes flowed over the marble floor as they shifted to stand nearer, as if attitude itself might distort fate in their direction."Audacus," the oldest, Master Callum, said, his voice husky with a challenge never breached in all his years. "Your arrogance does not belong here. You are not welcome."A smile flared at the edge of my lips. "Arrogance is the right of the already triumphant. You just haven't quite caught up with reality."Whispers circulated around the circle, soft, trembling shivers from tired old gods in mortal flesh. I could near

AUDACUSBeen out again in the mortal world feels so surreal but good, it's been so long, too long really but the night tasted sweet. Sweeter than a vow. More bitter than deceit.I stood beneath the crooked arm of a dying oak, one hand leather-gloved, the other bare, tracing my finger along the cold curve of my ring. The dark stone pulsed softly beneath my fingers, full of the quiet, slow hunger I always kept just beneath my skin.The world was still tonight. Even the wind had enough sense to whisper not when I heard it. I could sense the earth beneath my feet, the shift of shadow as it crawled towards me, drawn like a moth battering itself around its own funeral place.The shifter was late.It was always so with beasts bound by fear and not by love. Still, I was impressed by its cunning. Its guile. The art of slinking in and out of hides like leaves from a book.Finally, the beast emerged out of the woods.A distorted shape, wrapped in the stolen form of a man — the fifth, I think, si

LOGANThe air reeked of blood, pungent enough to slice through bone-deep exhaustion. I arrived too late for the battle, but just in time for the cleanup.Marissa stood with her arm raised over the shape-shifter's deformed body, which collapsed at her feet like a crumpled flower. Its body shook as if even death would not claim it cleanly. Her sword dripped with black, noxious ichor.I'd wanted to feel proud — darn it, I was proud — but my wolf howled inside my chest walls, screaming for vengeance."Are you alright?" I pressed forward, ready to catch her if her legs gave out under her.Marissa cleaned the knife on her hand, jutting chin as if the fighter I knew her to be was finally free of that cage she'd been holding herself in."It won't be the last."That solitary stark truth weighed between us like a boulder."Not if I have any say in it," I growled. And I meant every damn word.ISAIAH The scent of smoke still hung in the air, seeping into the stone walls like an unwelcome memory.

TURTELA The castle had never been this still, not really. Even at midnight, its old bones vibrated with the thrum of wards and remembrances. But tonight, after the fight, after blood and smoke, the stillness was oppressive as ever. It lay on my chest like a heavy hand, smothering the wolf inside me who trotted in ceaseless circles, anxious and watchful.I should have stayed in my own chambers. Should have soothed myself with a hot bath or the echoing sound of dad's voice up and down the halls. Instead, my own feet led me out, past the marble pillars, to the garden where everything was bathed in moonlight.And she was there.Serenia.Sitting on the stone bench like it was her own, as if she had burst forth from the earth itself, dark hair falling like silk down her back. She was so still that I almost mistook her for another statue, some forgotten relic the old kings had left. I did not sneak up on her. I wanted her to hear me coming. I wanted her to know that I was not afraid."You'

ISAIAH The moment Hailey's call brushed my thoughts, I felt it — the shift in the air. There was no desperation in her tone, no panic, but resolve. And that scared me more than any battlefield ever managed.I arrived in the courtyard as the moon carved silver wounds in the stone. My steps faltered as my gaze met hers.Serenia.The last time I'd ever seen her was under other skies — when I'd lost all hope of having a mate. When fate woke me up, I'd never expected that she would be bound to me again, or in this manner.She was now by Hailey's side. Not as an enemy. Not even as a stranger.Her eyes settled on me, hard and unflickering."You came," she said.I cleared my throat, finding my balance. "Your mother summoned me."Her lips curled into a semblance of laughter, but there was no warmth behind it. "Oh, naturally she would. Always the Queen, always the commander."I started to open my mouth in defense of Hailey — habit — but Serenia raised a hand, stopping me. Her voice softened, a

HAILEYThe moon hung low in the heavens, casting a silver glow across the courtyard. The air was thick with anticipation, a silence that reeked of danger waiting to happen. I stood alone, senses heightened, muscles bunched and prepared to move.I was startled by a sudden stir within the shadows. A figure emerged, veiled in the shadows, moving with lethal grace. I recognized her immediately—Serenia, daughter of Lilith. She was a storm, her eyes burning with a mix of rage and grief.She attacked silently, her sword flashing towards me. I parried, the sound of steel on steel ringing out like a thunderclap. Our battle was a dance of fire and ice, each strike a question, each parry an answer."Why?" I shouted, our blades intertwined. "Why attack me?"Her eyes twitched, agony clouding her features. "Because he wants you," she snarled. "The Serpent King wants you, and I need to know why."Comprehension dawned. This wasn't a straight-up attack—it was a test, a desperate search for information

LOUISA I wasn't sneaking. Or at least I was constantly reminding myself as I crept barefoot down Robert's penthouse east wing. He was gone on assignment, or whatever he had called it going out the door for hours wearing a snug black jacket with a gun tucked into the back of it and silence for a pal. I'd spent the entire evening staring at my reflection, wondering if I still looked like a junkie anymore, if eight years of existence had changed me in any way. I'd wandered into the corridor he'd warned me to avoid. The curiosity bothered me, louder than sense, hungrier than conscience. The red light over the locked door at the end of the hall always, tonight, was green. Maybe he had forgotten to switch it. Maybe I was supposed to find it. Maybe I wanted to be found. I entered the code. It beeped open. What I found inside was not what I expected. A small room. Not luxurious. Concrete walls, a large desk, some locked cabinets, and one chair. A wall of files, names and faces pinned l

LOUISA I wasn't sneaking. Or at least I was constantly reminding myself as I crept barefoot down Robert's penthouse east wing. He was gone on assignment, or whatever he had called it going out the door for hours wearing a snug black jacket with a gun tucked into the back of it and silence for a pal. I'd spent the entire evening staring at my reflection, wondering if I still looked like a junkie anymore, if eight years of existence had changed me in any way. I'd wandered into the corridor he'd warned me to avoid. The curiosity bothered me, louder than sense, hungrier than conscience. The red light over the locked door at the end of the hall always, tonight, was green. Maybe he had forgotten to switch it. Maybe I was supposed to find it. Maybe I wanted to be found. I entered the code. It beeped open. What I found inside was not what I expected. A small room. Not luxurious. Concrete walls, a large desk, some locked cabinets, and one chair. A wall of files, names and faces pinned l

MIA I knew entering that office I was in for a roasting. The whole hallway felt chillier than usual, as if the AC had been cranked to maximum through my body, or maybe that was just the cold bite of my own shame. My heels clicking on the shiny marble floor were like the tick of a countdown clock. His door was already open. Never a good sign. Boss only did that if he was too angry to be polite. "Get in. Now." I went in, shutting the door quietly behind me. He did not even look at me. Just filled his glass, swallowed it, then turned, his eyes burning with fire. The kind that torched bridges and people. "You had one job, Mia." I did not flinch. "I didn't order the hit." "Don't play smart. You organized it. You authorized the team. And now Daniel knows that we're after her. Do you have any idea what you've done?" I said nothing. "She was to be an asset. A target. Get someone to seduce her, manipulate her, have the inheritance in our pockets. Instead, you put a price on her head!

REBELMother has been trying to get me out for something close to a lifetime so here I am with my kids and her on a lunch date with so many guards dressed casually, it's ridiculous really but at least they stayed low key and blended with the crowd. Mother is after all a queen and Daniel despite my objections sent his men also but the kids need to socialise and breathe air it's been long we came out together last.The clinking of silver and soft hum of laughter filled the light dining room. The twins bracketed me, stuffing rice and grilled vegetables into their mouths, their cheeks puffed out like little squirrels. My mother sat opposite us, regal and poised, her plate still untouched a dramatic contrast to the chaos of crumbs surrounding my sons.Carly Rhodes. Crowned Queen of Cyndaria. Heiress. She wears power like a second skin, I am really my mother in this guise. And now, quite decidedly, my mother again. Since we returned, she had slipped into grandmother mode with a speed that w

REBEL As I walked home, the door shut behind me with a click, but the tension still stuck to my body like smoke. Daniel stood a couple of steps back, jaw clenched, shirt torn where a knife had nearly kissed his ribs. His eyes raked the hallway like he didn't think the quiet. I didn't either. "You okay?" he asked finally, voice low but with a hint of worry he was trying too damn hard to hide. "Are you?" I said, shedding my jacket. Blood, not my own, stained the sleeve. "You got hit." "Not deep." "Still hit." He didn't answer that. Michael and Mex sprinted past us through the foyer, their steps light but alert. Michael caught my eye and I nodded. He didn't grin, but his shoulders relaxed. Barely. The house remained still—too still. "Security system's been reset," Daniel growled, glancing at his phone. "Cameras caught a blur, but they scrambled the feed. Pros. Klaus is locking down the house." Of course they were. This wasn't a warning. This was a message. "We need

DANIEL It's been a whole week of staying hidden, communicating with the kids via chats; Rebel is still mad at me but that doesn't even matter anymore. I tried letting go but couldn't and now I have no intention of ever letting go anymore. It's time to end the silent treatment. I take off my clothes and make my way to the bathroom as I hear the water running, her back stiffens the moment I step in but I move in without the slightest hesitation all the same. I get into the tub behind her stark naked then I gather her beautiful hair curls and put them sideways before kissing her temple. "I know you're still mad, I am sorry, I will spend the rest of my life making up for everything but we must be on the same page now, there are too many lives at stake if we don't get it together". She scoffs "Doesn't mean I have to forgive you nor do I have to let you touch me at all". I laugh softly "True but we both know I'd do all those things all the same". I spin her around and make her f