ANMELDENCaspian: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
Ryan:I hadn’t stepped foot in this estate in years. And after her father had died, I did not believe that I would ever see her again. That I would ever see anyone of power again. Not since the tides of power shifted in ways none of us expected. Not since everything seemed to choose at differen
“No,” I agreed. “It’s intentional. Whatever it is that they have in mind, it is intentional.”I crossed the room and poured myself a glass of whiskey, letting the burn cut through the tension in my chest. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like playing a game I couldn’t see all the pieces of.And I hated
Caspian:She was quiet.Not the kind of quiet that came with peace, but the kind that throbbed like a wound beneath the surface. One that I could tell on you meant chaos was on the way. One that I knew she was doing her best to try and keep controlled.Valerie hadn’t spoken a word to me since this m
“No,” Caspian said, calm but firm. “Ryan came to us. We called him in when we realized your brother had dismissed him along with the rest of your father’s men. The ones who were loyal. The ones who could have stopped this. The ones that could have told you the truth behind everything that was going







