LOGINLyra's POV The tower door slammed against the stone as Xavier burst through it, the sound ricocheting down the long corridor like a war drum. I barely had time to grab the rest of my clothes before running after him. This was definitely not the time to thick about it, but if someone were to stumble on me now, they would be able to put two and two together as to why I wasn't completely dressed, why my face looked flustered and why my hair was a damn mess. I didn't care though, the only thing that mattered right now, was catching up with Xavier and trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. I tried to keep up with him,but my breath caught with every step as his boots pounded against the floor.“Xavier, wait!” I shouted, but he didn’t even slow. His stride was all sharp purpose and fury, the kind that didn’t stop for anything, least of all reason. “Please stop. Wait.” The torches along the walls flickered in his wake, their flames bending as if afraid to burn too close. I ha
Lyras POV I'd heard of people feeling at peace in the most bizarre ways, but in all my life, I wasn't sure I'd actually experienced that, until now that is. When I'd sought out Xavier, my mind was an anxious mess. A small part of me had thought that Xavier would even yell at me to get out of his presence, but he didn't. Instead, not only did he listen to me, he got to fuck me senseless. That was a win win in my book if you asked me. A cold gust of wind was all it took to pull me out of my daydream. Through the window, I could make out a new weather. It was raining now, and the rain drops were lashing against the tower walls, loud and insistent, but the sound that filled the small space was only the ragged, heavy breathing of Xavier and me. He was still naked, the both of us, but the feel of his length poking at me was more than enough to ignite the fire I thought had already died. Hell, he could kiss my ear, just a bit, and I would be wet for him all over again. I wasn't sure
Lyra's POV Time seemed to slow to a moment the minute the words slipped past my lips. If I was being honest, I hadn't even realized that I'd said it till the words hung in the air around us. A small part of me had thought that he didn't hear me, but the moment I saw his eyes widen, I just knew it was over. “But what if I gave you something more?” My own words echoed in my head. The silence was still there, but I noticed something else in his eyes. sadness. Luckily for me, that wasn't the most prominent emotion he was feeling. Underneath the fear of him becoming like his father, I didn't miss m the wild, desperate fire I knew. . The political disaster, the threat of his father, the council, it was all still outside, but right here, right now, I saw the man i wanted to fuck me till I came over and iver again like the dirty slut he always called me. I didn't wait for him to respond. Instead, I reached up and slid my hands under the torn edges of his shirt, gripping the hard warm
Lyra's POV The corridors leading to the east tower were empty. I knew not to take to as a bad sign, but the further I walked, the harder it became. The signs were glaring at this point, and for a quick second, I actually thought about turning around and pretending that something else had cut into my plans. While that didn't seem like too much of a bad idea, I couldn't do it. There was no way I would be able to do it. There were no guards, no sound, just the wind whispering through the cracks in the stone.Each step I took echoed too loudly. It felt wrong to make noise here, like the air itself was holding its breath. The torches had burned low now, and the last stretch of the hallway was lit only by the pale spill of daylight through a broken window. The sun was starting to set now, and maybe if cases were reversed and I didn't have a literal war to face, I wouldn't mind staying back to enjoy the view. Hell, I would have even been able to persuade Xavier to come join me. Xavi
Lyra's POV When I'd woken up earlier today, best believe this wasn't how I thought the day would pan out. Yes, the dream that pulled me back to reality was a harsh wake up call, but somehow, and for some strange reason, I actually expected that things would go well, eventually. But I was nothing short of a fool to think like that. I lost track of time after the little outburst in the council chambers. Hell , it had been hours since it happened, but I just couldn't get it out of my mind. The sun was high up in the sky, dragging light across my window panes like it wanted to set the entire palace on fire. Now that I thought about it, it didn't sound that bad. My chambers were quiet, but the quiet didn’t feel like peace, it felt like the kind that follows disaster. I hadn’t eaten, and I wasn't hungry . Every time I closed my eyes, or try to distract myself , I saw Xavier’s hand around his brother’s throat, the look in his eyes when he met mine before walking away.By the time the
Lyra's POV The silence that followed his words didn’t feel like silence at all. It felt like a storm waiting to tear the walls apart. In the couple of times I'd seen Xavier mad or about to get mad,I always told myself that that was the worst one, but this time, with him standing in front of me, I just knew that whatever he was about to unleash wouldnt be like any other. The only sound came from the torches, their flames crackling in uneven rhythms as if even they were unsure whether to keep burning or fizzle out for Xavier’s anger to shine through. Emily’s breathing was uneven now. In the blink of an eye, it had gone from steady and confident, to shallow and quick, and her wrists twisted uselessly in Xavier’s grip. The fear that had flickered earlier was growing, spreading through her eyes until it drowned everything else.“Tell them,” Xavier said again, quieter this time. “Tell them what you told me last night.”“I told you nothing,” Emily hissed, trying to wrench herself free.







