LOGINANWEN'S POVIn the days that followed, I kept trying to find the right moment to ask the three kings about the summons. After all, Fenric had said they would talk to me about it soon.But somehow, every attempt ended the same way.Whenever I brought it up, my question was either conveniently dodged, ignored altogether, or shut down before I could even finish asking.It was becoming increasingly frustrating.Today, I decided I was going to try again.I checked their chambers, their private studies, the library, and even my little garden, but there was no sign of any of them.I sighed heavily. Maybe they had gone away again.So, since I was already up and about, I decided I might as well continue my stroll around Blackreach. Not to look for them, of course, but simply to keep myself occupied until they returned.I headed for the lift and spent the next while wandering through the fortress, stepping off on levels I had never bothered to explore before and revisiting the ones I already li
ANWEN'S POVI pulled the lever and felt the lift descend smoothly beneath my feet.I had become surprisingly good at navigating the contraption over the past few weeks, so much so that I could operate it without a single blunder.Weeks of using the lift to wander through the fortress—and, more often, to visit my little spot in the heart of the labyrinth—had made the levers feel familiar beneath my hands.Brammon had kept adding to that little sanctuary ever since the day he first showed it to me. First, more flower beds appeared. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a cherry tree had taken root.So today, I was headed there again, eager to see what he had changed.The lift gave a final shudder as it reached the bottom level, and I pressed the button to open the doors. The heavy metal panels parted, and I practically bounced out before they had fully opened.I ran through the fortress's exit, humming, and the moment I stepped outside, the wind greeted me—sharp but no longer biting, softened
ANWEN'S POVI was still trembling when they laid me across Fenric's desk, my chest heaving with ragged breaths that wouldn't quite steady.The wood felt cool against my overheated skin, a stark contrast to the fire still racing through my veins from what their fingers had already drawn from me—pleasure that had shattered my mind into glittering fragments I was still trying to piece back together.Rhydan leaned closer, tracing the curve of my collarbone before hooking into the neckline of my chemise. He tugged hard, the fabric giving way until the garment pooled around my waist, leaving my breasts exposed to their gazes."So beautiful," he murmured.Then Brammon's palms were on my thighs, hiking the remaining fabric upward until I was completely bare to them, the chemise nothing more than a bunched ruin circling my middle. I lay there, open and vulnerable, as Fenric stepped between my legs where they hung limp over the desk's edge.He found my folds first, sliding slowly through the we
ANWEN'S POVFenric's gaze swept over me, his silver eyes burning as they traveled across my skin before he leaned closer. He leaned closer, lowering his mouth to my chest. His sharp teeth nipped at the tender flesh above my breasts, leaving behind marks that bloomed red and throbbed in time with my pulse.I sucked in a breath, my fingers digging into his shoulders.He shifted me, his rough hands turning me on his lap until I faced Brammon and Rhydan. Their gazes locked onto me, heavy and predatory, and heat rushed to my face."Our little human is feeling a bit too needy today," Fenric announced.Before I could respond, his hands closed around my waist and lifted me, setting me down on his desk. The wood was cool and hard beneath my knees.Then his lips brushed the shell of my ear, his breath hot against my skin."I bet you're aching for release, aren't you?" he muttered.My breath caught, my body betraying me as wetness pooled between my thighs, throbbing with need. "Yes," I whispered
ANWEN'S POVBrammon groaned in loud protest before reaching up and gently lifting my legs from his shoulders, guiding them down until my boots found the snow-dusted ground.I slipped from the swing, keeping one hand wrapped around the rope to steady my still-shaky knees. I was still catching my breath from what they'd interrupted.But the mere mention of the High King always made something cold settle beneath my ribs.Fenric and Rhydan didn't look particularly pleased either.Brammon turned toward me. "Get inside the fortress," he said firmly. Then he reached out and lifted my chin with two fingers, making me meet his eyes. "You know your way back?"I forced a small, thin smile. "Yes."He nodded. "Go on, then."I obeyed, clutching my cloak tighter around me as I walked.As I passed Fenric, his hand settled at the small of my back. He didn't say anything, only gave me a light squeeze before letting go.I glanced quickly at Rhydan. He met my gaze immediately."Straight to your chambers,
ANWEN'S POVMy frown only deepened the longer I stared at the enormous iron doors.Brammon remained exactly where he was, standing proudly before them as though expecting me to be impressed.I looked from him to the doors, then back to him again, trying to make sense of it all."You got me..." I began cautiously, forcing a smile, "...a door?"Neither the corners of his mouth nor his brows so much as twitched.He simply looked at me.I tilted my head. "Is there something behind it?" I asked. "Another room?"He pressed his lips into a thin line before clicking his tongue loud enough to echo down the corridor. "It's a lift, Anwen.""Oh..." I murmured, the word small and uncertain.Then my smile faded. "What's... a lift?"He stared at me in disbelief. "How could you not know what a lift is?"I crossed my arms and frowned right back at him. "I spent my entire life hidden away in a tiny cottage," I reminded him. "Of course I wouldn't know."Brammon let out a long, resigned sigh and shifted
ANWEN'S POVI woke with a shiver, pain lancing through my side like fire as darkness pressed in on all sides. For a moment, my mind betrayed me, dragging me back into the cramped, suffocating wagon compartment, the stench of fish and rotting wood clinging to my senses as sharply as ever.Then some
ANWEN'S POV“What do we have hiding in here?”His eyes pinned me as if he could peel back my skin and see the truth beneath. Then his hands closed around my shoulders—hard, immovable. Strong. The kind that could crush bone without trying.I kept my head down.I nearly yelped when his grip tightened
ANWEN’S POVArlo was already moving around the room, grabbing things—my thick scarf, the small pouch of medicinal herbs for my fever and cough, an extra pair of socks. He stuffed them into a rough sack with hurried hands.“Where are we going?” I asked, pushing the blankets aside and climbing to my
ANWEN'S POVTwenty years later.Monsters rule the world now.They don’t hide in shadows or lurk beneath beds. They sit in councils. They wear crowns. They walk our roads in broad daylight as if the world belongs to them.Because it does.They call themselves the Scions—magic wielders, shifters, and







