Se connecterThe violet blaze that danced through her fur flared slightly at the contact. It did not burn. It did not sear. Instead, the light folded into him. Threads of violet slipped seamlessly into the black of his coat, blending rather than clashing. The energy softened against him, wrapping around him
Then Kaelani suddenly pulled back and without explanation, she grabbed his hand and started leading him across the hillside toward a massive tree rooted near the edge of the slope. Kaelani glanced around once, then reached for the hem of her shirt. Julian’s brows shot up. “You know damn well I’d
Her voice softened. “It’s beautiful.” There was a brief pause. “And I would like to see it again,” she added carefully, meeting his eyes. “With you.” Julian grew quiet, the tension rolling off him in a steady wave, and Kaelani felt every ounce of it through the bond. After a moment, he asked qu
Kaelani and Julian walked hand in hand through the grand promenade that led toward the Seelie palace, its marble pathways winding between cascading fountains and archways woven with living vines. Sunlight poured over the city in soft gold, catching in crystalline spires and dancing across balconies
When they returned to the Blackthorn packhouse, Julian expected to find his mother in one of her usual places—the sunroom overlooking the gardens, or the small sitting alcove near the east corridor where she liked to read. She wasn’t there. He checked the parlor. The dining hall. Nothing. A fai
Julian sat at the kitchen table, tension still visible in the tight line of his shoulders as Kaelani moved at the counter, finishing the last touches on their breakfast. “I would have ripped his head clean off his shoulders,” he said quietly, though there was nothing casual about the way he said it
The words echoed like a curse in her mind. Unseelie Court. That’s what Garrick had called it. That’s what he’d said her mother was—a dark fae of the Unseelie Court. Kaelani’s heart pounded, but the rhythm was hollow, stunned, as her legs moved of their own accord, flanked by six spear-wielding wa
A sharp jab to her ribs snapped Kaelani out of unconsciousness. She gasped, body lurching upright as her eyes flew open—only to be met with a flash of steel and light. A half-dozen spearheads, glowing with crackling energy, hovered inches from her face. She sat up instinctively—and instantly regr
A war cry ripped from her throat—raw, primal, the sound of a woman who would not be taken. And the power beyond the veil answered her call. With a crack that shook the ground, a massive tree branch swung down like a divine hammer, slamming into Elara mid-leap. The impact was brutal. A yelp—sharp
“How could you?” she seethed, her voice cracking. “You lied to me. To our family. You’ve made a mockery of everything we built.” Garrick stepped forward in his glass enclosure, palms pressed to the barrier. “Brielle, no—you don’t understand. I was tricked! It’s not what you think.” His voice pitch







