We’ll be joining our lovebirds next! 💕✨ Thank you so much for coming this far—your support means the world to me! 📖💖
DimitriThe first one lunged, fangs bared, claws slicing through the air like razors.I moved faster.Steel met sinew as I twisted mid-step and caught him by the throat. A snarl broke across his face, but it died in an instant. My fingers crushed his windpipe like brittle glass. I yanked hard, lifting his body overhead, and then…Crack.His spine snapped as I slammed him down the stairs, leaving a blood-slick trail across the stone. He didn’t get back up.The others didn’t hesitate.They surged from the shadows like feral things, eyes burning red, mouths foaming with bloodlust. Their pride blinded them. They thought sheer numbers could tip the scales.Fools.Lancly moved beside me, a blur of cold efficiency. He ducked a strike, pirouetted beneath a flying claw, and drove his fist through a Strigoi’s chest. His hand burst out the other side, gripping a still-beating heart. He dropped the corpse like garbage, unfazed.We didn’t just fight. We unleashed.Another charged, teeth gnashing,
Dimitri“So you’re telling me you had nothing to do with the Strigoi attack on Brian Pierce?” I asked, my voice low but cutting. “That you weren’t behind the slaughter that left him and the wolves guarding him torn to pieces?”Lukeman didn’t flinch. He shook his head, calm, too calm. He was expecting the question. That alone told me he was lying.“Don’t insult me, Lukeman.” I took a step closer, letting my presence press down on him like a stormcloud. “I didn’t claw my way to clan leadership by being blind or stupid. So drop the act. Speak, because this time, Balshov is watching.”That got him.His eyes widened, the mask cracking. If he didn’t fear me—and he should—he’d damn well fear Adrian. Everyone did. Only the suicidal thought they could survive Adrian’s attention.“This… this isn’t his business,” Lukeman stammered.I growled.The sound echoed off the stone walls like thunder.“You son of a bitch,” I spat, stepping in close. “You said nothing. You kept Brian’s request from us. An
DimitriThe moment I heard Arya was paying Martina a visit, unease twisted like a cold blade in my gut. I didn’t like it. Couldn’t stop it, either—but I sure as hell wouldn’t stay blind. Pride wouldn't let me. I’d already humbled myself once before the Balshovs. I wouldn't crawl back to Alexei like some desperate servant. Never again.So I did what I had to do. I sent Viktor.He’s loyal, and usually sharp—but when Arya finally left Martina’s, all he brought me was nothing. Useless.“They were just talking,” he said. “Like friends.”Friends?I nearly tore his throat out. Everyone with a drop of blood in their body knows Arya’s been flaunting herself like Adrian’s chosen. She doesn’t "visit" without motive, and I’d bet every last drop of my power that this had something to do with Natalie.That girl’s presence has stirred things I can’t quite see, but I feel it. Like the shift in wind before a storm.I told Viktor to keep watching. Quietly. I don’t want whispers, I want truth. If there’
NatalieI was still trying to process everything Adrian had told me when Nikolas walked in with Alison. I barely had time to brace myself before she threw her arms around me.I forced a smile.She hugged me tight, like she meant it—and maybe she did. Maybe I was just overthinking again. Time would tell.By the time she pulled back, Adrian and Nikolas had already slipped out of the room. I didn’t want him to go, not really. But he was Master, and I knew he had other responsibilities. Sitting with me all day in the infirmary? That was already more than I could ask. I was grateful. Quietly, deeply grateful.Alison looked around, wide-eyed.“A hospital inside a house?” she whispered. “Okay, who are these people? Where did you even meet them? They’ve got to be seriously loaded.”She gave a playful squeal that felt like it belonged in another world.“That guy you were just with, wow. Is he your boyfriend? Or is he, you know... available?” Her smile turned mischievous. “Because I wouldn’t mi
Adrian“I bear no grudge against your son, Cain,” I said calmly. “I understand his reasons now. Honestly, if I were in his place, I might’ve done worse. Fate isn’t something to take lightly. If Natalie had chosen him, I would have walked away.”I paused, letting that land.“I hold no anger. But Carson should never cross me like that again. I’m willing to let a lot slide because of Jonathan… but if your son keeps antagonizing me, I might stop caring about blood ties.”Cain was quiet for a beat. Then: “He won’t. We’ve spoken. He understands what’s at stake—what’s best for all of us.”I nodded, even though he couldn’t see it.“Good. Because I didn’t just answer to settle old tension, I answered to warn you.”Cain went silent.“Be on the lookout for any so-called miracle treatments claiming to cure terminal illness.”“Why?” he asked warily.“Because I just uncovered something disturbing. The Strigoi are dosing humans with venom—without their consent.Disguising it as medical therapy. I’ve
AdrianI left the infirmary in silence, the sound of Natalie’s quiet sobs still echoing in my ears.There was nothing more I could do for Nicole, for now. The only person who might offer a path forward was the one I’d always turned to when answers ran dry.My father.It was afternoon, which meant the odds weren’t in my favour. Unlike me, he could not walk in the sun.He was Strigoi to the marrow, ancient, powerful, and forever bound to darkness.There were days I wished I could share my gift with him. Let him taste food again. Feel sunlight without pain. But that was a fantasy, and we’d long made peace with what I was… and what he wasn’t.Still, for me to exist, he had to exist. His blood. His sacrifice. His shadow. I owed him everything.I stepped into my parents’ chambers, the door whispering closed behind me. No windows, of course. His spaces were always sealed in shadow. The air was still, and there he was on his bed, unmoving, at peace in that deathlike sleep that day brings to h