เข้าสู่ระบบREMI POVI felt him before I even reached the kitchen.Through the bond. Distant. Faint.But there.Anger. Frustration. Need.The bond pulsed. Pulled.My body responded immediately. Heat low in my belly. Nipples tightening against my dress.He's not even HERE, Parrot said. And we're already like this?"I can't help it. The bond. It's demanding."The bond pulsed again. Stronger this time. A rush of possessive heat that made my knees weak.Mine, it seemed to say. You're MINE."Yes," I whispered. "Yours. Now get back here so I can show you exactly how much.""Talking to yourself?"I jumped. Turned.Kade stood there. Smirking."Is the bond getting worse or—"A guard appeared in the doorway. "Beta Kade. There's been an incident at the garden. We need you immediately.""Nero's going to kill me if something happens to you while he's gone.""Nothing's going to happen. I'm making tea. In a kitchen. What could possibly go wrong?"He left. Still looking worried.The guard followed.And I was alo
REMI POV"Press here." I grabbed Kade's hand. Slammed it down over the wound in Damon's chest. "Hard. Don't let go.""Is he—""Not yet. But we need to move fast." I looked around. We were still outside the stables. Exposed. "Help me carry him.""Where?""Anywhere that's not here. Whoever shot that arrow might come back to finish the job."Kade's face went white. But he nodded.We each took a side. Lifted Damon between us. He was heavy. Dead weight.Don't think dead, Parrot said. Bad choice of words."Not helping."We started moving. Fast as we could."West wing?" Kade said. "My room"I asked "Your room?.""Yes. Unless you want to carry your bleeding lover through the main palace where everyone can see and ask questions you don't have answers to."He stopped walking. Stared at me."You're right. East wing."We didn't go west toward the main palace. Kade turned east instead. Toward a smaller wing."Stay with me," Kade whispered. "Please. Stay with me."My chest ached watching him. The wa
REMI POV"Did you dress me up so I can look good when I die?"Kade stopped walking. Turned to look at me."What?""This dress. The hair. The whole thing." I gestured at myself. "Did you make me look nice so at least I'll be a pretty corpse?"He stared at me for a second. Then laughed. Actually laughed."Relax. The creatures don't want you dead. From what we know they specifically want you alive.""Oh good. So I'll just be kidnapped and tortured instead of killed. Much better.""I wouldn't put you in this position if your life was truly at risk.""My life is ALWAYS at risk. I'm mated to Nero.""Fair point." He started walking again. "But I mean it. If I thought you'd actually die I wouldn't do this.""So what's the plan then?""Damon's waiting for us at the stables. He doesn't know why yet. And he doesn't know you're with me.""So you need a fake name.Yes. Let's call you Paris.""Paris? Like the city?""Like the prince. From the legends. Paris of Troy.""The one who stole another man's
Alpha Manuel POV"Three hours. Fourteen minutes. Twenty-two seconds. Alpha Manuel."I kept walking. Didn't respond."Twenty-three seconds. Twenty-four seconds. Twenty-five seconds. Alpha Manuel.""I can count too, Mitch.""Then why aren't you? Counting is important. Keeps track of time. Distance. Progress. Alpha Manuel."Because I wasn't autistic like him. But I didn't say that. Mitch couldn't help it. His brain just worked different. Always had."How much further?" I asked instead."Two hundred twelve meters. Based on the map. The terrain has changed nineteen times. We've crossed five streams. Encountered eight different tree species. The dominant one is oak. Approximately sixty percent oak. Thirty percent pine. Ten percent birch. Alpha Manuel.""Noted.""You didn't ask about the trees. Alpha Manuel.""No. I didn't.""Then why did I provide that information? Alpha Manuel.""Because you can't help yourself."He thought about that. Nodded once. "Accurate assessment. Alpha Manuel."We
NERO POV"How much further to the river?" I asked.The venom was making everything worse. Every jolt sent pain through my shoulder. Down my arm. The black veins were spreading. I could see them creeping up my neck now. Felt them under my skin. Wrong. All wrong."Maybe thirty minutes. Why? Eager to face your greatest fear?" Abel responded"I don't have fears.""You're terrified of water.""I'm not terrified. I just. Prefer not to be near it.""Shut up, Abel."He was still grinning. Annoying bastard.We rode in silence for a few minutes. Then I heard it. The sound of running water.My chest tightened."That's the river," Abel said. Helpfully."I know what a river sounds like.""Your jaw just twitched.""No it didn't.""It did. Right there. Twitched again."I forced my jaw to relax. Didn't work.We came around a bend. The river spread out before us. Wide. Fast moving. The kind of water that could sweep you away if you weren't careful."It's not that bad," Abel said.It was that bad."We
REMI POVThat was rude, Parrot said. Even for him that was RUDE.After Nero dumped me on the bed and walked out, I just lay there for a minute.Staring at the ceiling."Well," I said to the empty room. "Someone woke up on the murder side of the bed."Payback for stabbing him.Right.Like I'd stabbed him for FUN.Like I hadn't been DYING when I did it."Asshole," I muttered to the empty room. "Royal, venom-infected, emotionally constipated asshole."But you're still worried about him, Parrot said."Well. I wish I wasn’t."You are. You're worried the venom's getting worse. Making him meaner. More violent. More... him but worse.She was right.Something was really wrong with Nero. More wrong than usual. That wasn't just angry Nero or cursed Nero or even asshole Nero.That was venom Nero. Dying Nero.And I needed to help him. Because I needed him alive.Not just for me. Though yes. Obviously. If he died I was screwed. The evil twin mothers would probably throw a party on my grave.But als







