INICIAR SESIÓNPhantom's POV The castle had never felt this quiet.Not even in the dead of night.Not even during storms.The silence was different now.Heavier.It lingered in every corridor and wrapped itself around every breath I took.Everywhere I looked, I saw traces of her.A book she'd been reading.A half-finished embroidery project abandoned beside her favorite chair.Fresh flowers someone had placed outside her chambers.My mother's absence had become its own presence.A ghost haunting every room.A servant approached cautiously as I stood in the grand hall staring at nothing."My King?"I blinked.For a moment, I'd forgotten where I was."What?"The young woman flinched.The reaction twisted something ugly inside my chest.Everyone looked afraid of me these days.And I'd earned it.The servant swallowed."The royal planners would like to know your wishes for tomorrow's service."Tomorrow.The funeral.The word felt like a blade.I closed my eyes.My wishes.As if any of this mattered.As
Bailey's POV The news arrives in the middle of the mating celebrations. Less than an hour after I became queen. Less than twenty-four hours after I gave my anonymous helper her schedule. I start to get dizzy, and feel sick. The throne room falls silent as the announcement is delivered. No one speaks. No one breathes. No one moves. It's as if the entire castle forgets how. Then the words finally sink in. Queen Margaret is dead. Dead. The word echoes through my skull, hollow and wrong. Across the room, Phantom goes completely still. I've seen him angry. I've seen him heartbroken. I've seen him furious enough to break furniture and reckless enough to start fights he couldn't win. I've never seen this. This is different. This isn't the reaction of a king. It's the reaction of a son. A son who just lost his mother. My heart twists painfully. Because despite everything... Despite my jealousy. Despite my obsession with Phantom. Despite all the terrible choices I'v
Phantom's POV The vial gleamed in my hand.I turned it slowly beneath the candlelight, watching the crimson liquid swirl against the glass.Days of work.Days of failures.Days of demanding more from my witches and warlocks than they thought possible.And now I finally had it.A love potion powerful enough to bend destiny itself.A slow smile tugged at my lips.Tomorrow, Maryelle would come back to me.Not because she wanted to.Not because she understood.Because I would make her see what she'd been too stubborn to accept.She belonged with me.She always had.The magic hidden inside the potion pulsed faintly against my palm.One dose.That was all it would take.I tucked the vial safely inside my jacket before leaning back in my chair.For a brief moment, I thought of Bailey's offer.Weeks ago, she'd suggested obtaining a potion through one of her own sources.At first, it had seemed convenient.But the more I'd thought about it, the more suspicious I'd become.Bailey wanted to be
We arrive in Rome just after six in the evening.The air is thick with lingering summer heat.Golden light spills across the estate as the sun begins its slow descent toward the horizon.I decide to stay with Israfil and his royal fold.Lucian doesn't argue.Though I can tell he wants to."I have a few things to take care of anyway." His voice remains steady. But something unsettled lingers behind his eyes. "I was hoping we could have dinner later.""I'd like that."Then I hesitate."I was actually thinking about visiting Phantom first."The silence that follows is immediate.Painfully immediate."Oh."Just one word.But it lands hard.Shock flashes across his face before he smooths it away.Too late.I already saw it."I just want to clear the air." I step closer."Tomorrow is his mother's funeral."His expression softens slightly."I don't want things to be awkward.""Of course." He nods once.Controlled.Composed.Entirely too composed."But if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't g
Maryelle's POV We're on Israfil's plane, bound for Rome, Georgia.The cabin hums with the steady drone of the engines, a low vibration threading through the leather seats. Outside, the sky stretches endlessly black, scattered with stars that look impossibly far away.Lucian sits beside me, staring out the window.Quiet.Too quiet.The shadows carve sharp lines across his face, and even without our strange connection, I'd know something was bothering him.I lace my fingers through his and squeeze gently.He offers a smile.Small.Distracted.It never reaches his eyes."You're overthinking again," I say.His gaze drifts toward me."It helps when you share what's worrying you."A slow breath leaves him."Phantom's going to start a war."The words settle heavily between us."He'll want someone to pay for his mother's death.""But it wasn't you."I squeeze his hand tighter."The weresnakes had nothing to do with it. It's obvious Canum was behind Queen Margaret's murder."Lucian's jaw tigh
Lucian’s POV continued"I think there's a security camera pointed directly at us," I murmur against her mouth."I don't want to traumatize the werepanthers."She doesn't move away.Not even an inch."They've been very accommodating."A laugh escapes me.Low.Helpless."Is this what addiction feels like?"Her voice is breathless."Knowing you should stop, but realizing one more taste won't be enough?"I stare at her.At the woman slowly dismantling every defense I've ever had."I'm already gone."The admission comes easily."No saving me now."Then—"Excuse me." The voice slices through the moment like shattered glass.We both freeze.Slowly, we turn.A blonde girl stands on the pathway.Arms crossed.Expression unimpressed.Radiating judgment."Kat." Maryelle immediately looks guilty."This is Lucian."Kat rolls her eyes."I know exactly who the King of the weresnakes is."Her gaze moves between us."What I don't understand is why you're mauling him in someone else's backyard."I bite
“This is not Australia.”“You're a genius, Maryelle—too clever for the world,” my mother deadpans.“Mom, what the heck! You said we were going on a summer vacation. You were taking me to Australia and Rome. Again, I have to point out that this place looks like neither.” I hadn’t been suspicious whe
In the club, the music pounds against the speakers like an angry woodpecker trying to demolish a tree. Al yells her order over the noise, and the bartender hands her two shots in return. She shoves one in my direction, and before I can decline, a guy jumps in front of me and shoves the glass filled
The sun sets. Captivated, I watch its buttery haze disappear behind the clouds in pretty shades of blue, purple, and splotches of gold. It reminds me of the sunsets back home at Falls Quaker and briefly takes my mind off being stuck in Rome, Georgia. I glance at Al’s bed and wonder what the next fe
Despite the mountain lion scare, Phantom and I spend the next couple of weeks moving through summer as if it were stitched just for us. Each moment with him eclipses the last, and the way he treats me makes him feel less like a prince of bloodlines and more like the kind of prince carved out of dre







