LOGINCaspian:One Year LaterThe breeze was warmer today.Softer.Gentler in a way I hadn’t felt in years.More peaceful and more contenting, More calm and even happier.I stood at the edge of the gardens, the same gardens where so much had been taken from us, and so much had been given back, watching Ad
Valerie:The sun was rising over the horizon, golden streaks splitting the sky wide open, like a promise finally fulfilled.I stood at the highest point of the estate grounds, the wind tugging at my hair, the scent of fresh earth and morning dew wrapping around me like a cloak.It was over.Giovanni
“Impressive,” Giovanni called, his voice carrying easily across the clearing. His smile was cold, razor sharp. “I knew there was more to you, Valerie. I knew it from the second I laid eyes on you. I did say that I had more respect to you than I had for others, but it seems to me that I did not expec
Valerie:The boy's cries ripped through me like claws.My heart raced with each passing moment and I did my best not to harm that child. I did my best not to dirty my hands with his blood, to save him out of this, to get him out of this before the man played the game that I was not willing to handle
Caspian:The air was too still.It was the kind of stillness that came after the fight, when the blood had dried and the bodies were cleared, but before the real danger revealed itself.I didn’t like it. Not one damn bit.Because I knew that stillness was one that only told me that more danger was
Valerie:The earth still smelled of blood.I smelled of blood. People's blood the blood of our enemies the people who had dared invade our territory.The ground beneath our feet was turned upside down. We were going to need to fix that later, but I knew that the vines that worked their way from the
Valerie:The world felt different with the shield in place. I could feel the pulse of the earth under my bare feet, the way it rose and answered me like it had always been waiting for me to call it. I never realized how much of it had been inside me until now, how much power, how much life, how muc
Caspian:Valerie hadn’t moved from the bed all day.She barely touched her breakfast. Barely muttered a word when I checked on her. Adrian curled beside her that morning, quietly tracing little stars onto her arm with his fingers, hoping it might make her smile.She didn’t.And to make matters worse
Valerie:The wind around us started to shift. I could feel it and see it and the trees that were around us. I walked along the forest path with Adrian by my side, his little hand tucked securely in mine. I wanted him to try and explore his power. I wanted him to allow himself to give in to what it i
“I'm so sorry, Valerie. I really am…”*******************************I don’t remember falling asleep.Only the dull ache in my chest, the rawness of my throat, and the weight of silence around me when I opened my eyes again.The couch beneath me felt softer than usual, like someone had adjusted the







