ログインXlynor's POVI pushed open the door to the rooftop terrace and found Kali exactly where I expected—sitting on the low parapet wall with her legs dangling over the side like she was daring the drop.“At this point,” I said, stepping out into the night air, “I cannot tell the difference between you and Isagi. You both have a specific obsession with rooftops, which is hard to decipher. Feel free to explore every one in Dark Hound. Just avoid mine.”“I don't like coming here either.” She didn't bother looking back at me. “But Dark Hound looks nice from up here, so unfortunately — no.”I scoffed as I walked closer. “You can barely see anything from here, liar.” I stopped a few feet behind her. “The buildings are too far away. You can't even see most of the pack from here.”She said nothing, just swung her legs back over and jumped down from the parapet. She turned around, then reached into her bag, producing two small potion bottles and one vial, then held them out.“The vial contains a ne
Xlynor's POVI glanced at Ivara.Something was wrong about her. No, it was me. Something was wrong with me. The part of me that liked whatever this was, and kept pushing for more, even though every rational thought screamed that this was a no-brainer.I knew where the line was. I also knew that identifying a line and maintaining appropriate distance from it were different skills, and mine were eroding at a rate I hadn't planned for. But I should be fine as long as I wasn't crossing it completely… right?I untied my hair and ran a hand through it. It was time to leave. I couldn't stay. Not if I actually wanted to keep any control. My instincts were already loud and demanding things I couldn't give. At this point, I was no better than Isagi. Maybe, except for the fact that I was good at pretense and knew how to keep my madness at bay.“I should tuck her in properly before leaving,” I muttered, going back to the bed. That was it. Tuck her in and go find something productive to do for the
Xlynor's POVMy abilities had returned enough for me to manage a single jump without glitching through half of Athynra, so I got us back to the castle around the time Ivara stopped being a brat and finally lost the battle with sleep.Although, I had to wait a few more minutes after her breathing changed, just to make sure she was truly asleep before I moved us.We were back in my room, with Ivara lying on my bed, asleep. I sat next to her, her bruised arm resting lightly in my hands.I turned it over carefully in both hands. The swelling at the wrist had turned purple-blue, tight skin over the bruise, the discoloration creeping toward the base of her palm. It didn't look like it was going to resolve on its own by morning. Isagi had gone overboard.Of course she hadn't complained once, but I could still see how bad it was. I just didn't know what to do about an injury like this. I only knew how to treat small cuts and scrapes, not bruises and swelling.I got injured most times but they
Xlynor's POV“Seriously? Are you just going to ignore me?” Ivara turned to me fully with an unimpressed look, but I quickly avoided her gaze. Those sapphire eyes didn't do anything to help my situation and I could watch anything that wasn't it.“Don't look at me with those eyes.” I grunted, shoving her face away.I spared her a glance, thinking she had looked away, but she hadn't. She kept looking at me weirdly, and I felt my heart skip a beat.“What eyes?” She raised a brow.“Ugh… those witchy eyes, McKenna. It's hideous.” The lie rolled out of my tongue.But instead of looking away or facing somewhere else, she tilted her head a bit, staring hard at me. “You think my eyes are hideous? Or are you trying to switch conversations?” She snorted.I met her bewitching gaze. “You just never listen, do you?”She didn't answer, just stared blankly at me.I looked at her for a short moment, trying to make up something that sounded right, then sighed exasperatedly. “Maybe because I just chose t
Xlynor's POVI was exhausted but dealing with Ivara was more exhausting. I only needed to have her close while recovering, but she had decided to make it as difficult as possible. Even though I didn't want a part in her craziness, I couldn’t refuse the entertainment she provided.She was such a fierce little tyrant. As tiresome as it was, I enjoyed every second of subduing her and keeping her exactly where I wanted. But I wasn’t prepared for when she bit my palm, which was covering her mouth.I snatched my hand back with a sharp breath before I decided it.“Are you a dog?” I rasped.“You fucking bastard—” She seethed and tried to hit me, but her bad arm pulled up short, limiting her. She scowled and winced in frustration, but somehow, I found it amusing.I chuckled darkly. “Deal with it. You're staying here tonight because I want you to and there’s nothing you can do about it. Absolutely nothing.” I taunted, and every reaction she gave only made it better.“Of course you’ll want me he
Ivara's POV“What is wrong with you?” I scowled, pushing him slightly.Xlynor remained nonchalant, eyes still half-closed. “Why are you so scared and panicking? We're in a room. So what if it's the palace? Are you going to be killed if you're seen here?” he scoffed. “Like we don't do worse.”My eyes widened at that sentence. “I don’t do anything with you.”He tilted his head toward me, one eye cracking open, and the smirk that lived at the corner of his mouth made a brief appearance.I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.“Quit panicking,” he said, eyes closing again. “No one has to know. It'll just be one of our secrets.”I rolled my eyes again. “You make it sound like we have loads of secrets.”“Oh yes we do.” He settled deeper into stillness. “And we'll have more. You just have to keep your mouth shut.”I stared at him, eyes wide, but he looked completely, serenely unbothered. Totally normal. What the fuck? I had said it countless times that this man was crazy but still he always
IVARA What had just happened? One second, I was waiting for Adrian in the park, the next? I was here, half-conscious in some confinement.Confinement? A fvcking confinement! My eyes widened. What?I dragged myself up, my legs wobbling as the room spun around.“No, no.” I whispered, I couldn't poss
Xlynor's POVOf course, Isagi would always find a way to piss me off. Even though he knew how much I hated being called brother by him, he still did it. Always insisting that since both our mothers were demigoddesses, we were siblings.“Don’t fucking call me that,” I scowled.Isagi pouted dramatica
Xlynor's POVI leaned back against the kitchen island the moment Ivara left, pressing my palm against my face.What the hell was wrong with me?First, I felt a spark of genuine pride when I caught her scent at the banquet—proud that my little bird had escaped so quickly and cleverly.Then the reali
Ivara’s POVXlynor and Zoya had already begun walking toward the throne at the end of the hall, like royalty stepping into their rightful place.Which, unfortunately… they were.I swallowed nervously and followed the guard.The moment I stepped inside the hall, the scale of it hit me properly. It wa







