ARAH
She could feel Vienna’s anger seeping into her skin. It was as if the witch were furious that Arah had dared to hijack her memory. It clearly had something to do with the swirling mass of fog above. Maybe its magic had triggered a connection with Vienna’s collar.
Arah braced herself, thinking Vienna might lash out for peering into her past. But something told her it wasn’t the case.
“What happened to your sister?” The question tumbled from her lips before she could stop it. In the memory, the twins had been inseparable. The sister’s absence could only mean something had happened to her. “Rose? Lily?”
Vienna screamed. Her pain was so overwhelming that, for a fleeting moment, Arah wanted to comfort her. What the twins had endured was horrible. But Vienna was still an enemy. Arah couldn’t afford sympathy.
Seizing the witch’s moment of distraction, she bolted. She sprinte
ARAHShe’d forgotten how impossible it was to keep secrets on this island, and how Tonio seemed to have friends in every corner. A hospital staff member had told him about seeing her and Gildeon with a college student patient. It all escalated from there. Tonio had talked to Cora, and Cora unintentionally slipped up.Now Tonio looked like a raging bull, springing up from the couch, ready to charge out of her studio to confront Gildeon.“Sit down, you oaf!” Cora rolled her eyes and yanked him back down. “As if you could actually land a punch.”“Hey, I did knock a tooth out of your ex-husband,” Tonio countered.Cora planted a hand on her hip. “Romel’s half your size. There’s a difference.”Tonio let out a sharp sigh and dropped his gaze to the floor. “That son of a bitch Gildeon needs to learn a lesson too,” he muttered, grinding his knuckles into his other palm. “A real man should never cheat on his woman.”“It’s fine,
GILDEONLight Faes.His mouth parted slightly, eyes blinking in surprise. He’d only ever heard a few things about them. Ghulik had said they rarely crossed into the earthly plane, rarely involved themselves in the affairs of other beings.His jaw clenched. “You’re the ones who tried to harm my child,” he muttered, summoning fire to his hand. “Saved me the trouble of tracking you down.”A bitter wind whipped through the room, slamming into his hand with such force that it went numb. The cold snuffed out his flame in an instant.He stared, stunned. No other creature had ever done that before.“Your fire holds no power against us.”But he was already releasing another flame, ignoring the remark.“If you persist,” the Fae warned, “you will only kill this human.”Gildeon gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body tightening. It wasn’t about concern for Professor Leviste’s safety—he hadn’t meant to put her at
GILDEONThe department head made him sit through the scattered video clips that students had taken during yesterday’s incident. Most focused on the sudden bite to the female professor’s shoulder, and the fire that had exploded out of nowhere in the hallway.The problem was—he and Arah were clearly in them.“Care to explain why you were here, Mr. Ayadi?” Professor Leviste asked, her white hair catching the daylight pouring through the tall windows behind her. She had the stern face of a strict grandmother—but the voice of one who always had sweets in her pocket.“You weren’t due to report back until next week,” she added. “You even brought your wife.”He regretted ever putting that fake wedding photo of him and Arah on display on his desk. Back then, he’d thought mimicking human behavior would help them not stand out.Now the irony was biting him in the ass.Gildeon had to be careful about what excuse to give. And as R
ARAHJust when she thought she was ready to forgive Gildeon, he gave her another reason to burn.“It’s not enough that you slept with another woman—a crazy witch, no less.” She slammed her hands on the stone table. “Got her pregnant. And now you want her to live here?”She paused, catching her breath. Her chest stormed with rage, tight enough to burst. Wind slapped against them, tearing leaves from the tree, fluttering down like the last shreds of her patience.It was too much to take in.Ever since discovering she was a sylph, she’d been quietly training herself to keep her emotions in check. The last thing she wanted was to stir up chaos every time the wind responded to her mood.But this situation was pushing her to the edge. The fact that her outburst had triggered only a mild reaction felt like a small miracle already.Gildeon’s mouth parted slightly, his gaze flicking up to the tree above them with a mix of surp
GILDEONHis glasses hit the floor just as he charged Lexi, his arm shifting mid-motion into its full dragon form. His clawed hand locked around her neck. Her glass slipped from her grip, spilling dark violet liquid down her chest. She clutched at his arm, more out of reflex than any real struggle.“I killed you,” he growled, pinning her to the couch. The fabric tore, and the frame groaned beneath them.Her voice came strained, cracked through the pressure on her windpipe. “What... can I... say?” A weak smirk flickered at the edge of her lips. “I’m full of... surprises.”Then he remembered it—that faint red glimmer he’d seen rising from the Crab Witch’s burning body. Her soul. It must’ve been her soul.Didn’t matter. He’d kill her again. And this time, he’d burn the soul for good, too.His grip tightened, claws pressing deeper, feeling the pulse of her throat thrumming against the tips. A wet rasp escaped her lips, some mix b
GILDEONHe never thought he’d set foot in Lexi’s apartment again. But she’d left him no choice. She wouldn’t talk at the hospital. After they discharged her, he’d driven her home—where she promised to give him answers.“You want some wine, Professor?” Lexi asked as she walked toward the kitchen. “Just for you, though. I can only have some juice—”“I’m not here for a social call, Lexi,” he cut in, not even bothering to sit down. “Tell me the truth. That child can’t be mine.”“Straight to business again, huh?” she taunted, pulling his memory back to that first night he came here. How he’d pressed her against the wall without a word, claimed her mouth in a bruising kiss, torn off her dress, and taken her from behind—All the while thinking of Arah.He hadn’t regretted it. Didn’t even see it as a mistake. It had been necessary—to appease his dragon spirit. But if he’d known it would land him in this situation, Lexi wouldn’t have