LOGIN“Forgive me, Draven. Bearer of the elements… fire, water.” Torin’s tone dripped with scorn as he strode forward, boots striking the marble floor, until he stood halfway to Charlotte. “Do not act so astonished.”“Don’t you dare touch my mother!” Draven roared, his voice cracking like a whip, the command silencing the hall and leaving Torin to savor the weight of it.Torin met Charlotte’s gaze, locking her in. “I have a gift for you,” he whispered, mockery twisting his tone. “One you will be dying to see.”“Queen,” he added with a cruel curl of his lips, the title spat like an insult.“He is the reason I came here. I have sent countless messages, and my patience has been stretched beyond its limit.” Torin paused as the silence that followed pressed down with suffocating weight.Finally, Torin spoke again. “In less than six months, on his twentieth birthday, your son will become the power he was destined to be. A force nearly divine.”Draven’s voice cut through the air, filled with venom
✦Funeral of a god✦Far from the gates of Aethel, Queen Charlotte, Eldric’s beloved wife, saw the enemy approaching, dust rising beyond the hills as she stood upon the castle battlements.She raced through the halls, breathless with urgency. Bursting into her sons’ chamber, she found little Quinn playing with his toy soldier.“Draven, Draven!” she called out for her first son as she swept ten-year-old Quinn into her arms, clutching him close.“We have to go, my love,” she whispered, leading him into a hidden tunnel, known only to her, Eldric, and their children.Quinn looked into the tunnel, trembling. “Mother, I am scared.”“I know, sweetheart,” she said, kneeling before him. “But you must be brave. You are strong, just like your father. I need you to run as fast as you can. Do not look back.”Tears streamed down her cheeks as she kissed his forehead. “Go, my love.”Quinn stood for a moment, tears in his eyes, stepping back slowly, his gaze never leaving her.“Go!” she commanded, her
✦DAYS LATER✦ ◈THE CARDIAC WARD◈ Alex came into the ward quietly, the door closing behind him with care, and he asked, “How is your dad’s condition,” his voice low and steady. He stepped closer to the bed and reached out, touching my dad's hand with a gentleness that made a soft smile tug at my lips, while I stood on the opposite side, watching the slow rise and fall of my dad’s chest. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes, and before I could turn away, Alex moved around the bed and pulled me into him. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed my head to his chest, holding me steady as my body gave in, my quiet sobs shaking against him while his hand rested at the back of my head, patient and grounding. “Maybe what he saw wouldn’t have led to him having a heart attack,” I cried into Alex’s chest, my voice breaking as the words escaped me, and Alex held me tighter without rushing me, his thumb brushing my hair in slow circles. My dad stirred then, his eyes opening just enough
✦THE NEXT DAY✦◈HARTWELL'S MANSION◈ I stepped into the house and slowed when I saw my father seated on the sofa, his shoulders stiff, my mom standing beside him with one leg crossed, her hands pressed to the backrest. My smile slipped for a heartbeat before I forced it back as I moved farther in.“You’re all back,” I said, keeping my grin light as I crossed the room quickly.“Where are you coming from,” my father asked, his voice cutting in sharp enough to lock my feet to the floor. His eyes moved from me to my mother and back again, settling on me with a weight that tightened my chest. I opened my mouth, then stalled.“I will not repeat myself,” he said, his tone flat and final.“Games,” I answered, lifting my chin and holding my voice steady even as my pulse climbed.“Games,” he repeated, like he did not believe me, his gaze shifting toward the television and when I followed it, my stomach dropped. The swimming event was still playing, the commentator’s voice low but clear in the
✦THE NEXT DAY✦◈WILLIAM WOOLLETT JR. AQUATICS◈Coach Harry stood at the edge of the pool and said, “You have been beating Marco to it since we started today. Forty-six point two.”Alex stayed quiet, his gaze fixed on the lane, his hands tight on the block, and his eyes locked on the water as if the pool was the only thing that mattered.Coach Harry looked toward me in the far corner and then back to Alex before he said, “If that nigga is the reason for all this, you better bring him with you to Indiana.”Alex’s mouth twitched into a soft smile, and I felt my chest tighten, a strange mix of pride and fear rolling through me like a wave.Marco stood on the opposite block, his eyes sliding to Alex, then to me, and then back to the water. He held his posture like he was still in control, but I could see it in the way his jaw clenched, the way his shoulders tensed, that he was not as untouchable as he acted.Coach Harry lifted his hand and said, “Take your marks.”My body went rigid, my he
✦THE NEXT DAY✦◈GABRIEL'S MANSION◈Alex opened the door and the moment I saw him, my chest tightened. He smiled, and I couldn’t help smiling back, the warmth between us already thick. He stepped aside for me to pass, and as I walked in, he reached out and grabbed my ass, holding it a second longer than necessary.I shoved him lightly, my eyes flashing, and said, “What the hell are you doing?” He just smirked, then shut the door behind us.“You are maltreating me,” I said, my voice low and teasing. He just smiled, then shut the door behind us, the click of the latch made my skin tingle.”I let my gaze travel over him as we walked into the living room, watching the way he moved, the way he looked at me like I belonged there.“I wonder what kind of couple we’ll be if we eventually become one,” I added, teasing and bold in the same breath.Alex’s mom appeared, walking toward us with grace that made my eyes widen slightly. She smiled at both of us, holding a small box in her hands like it



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