ANMELDENDravenI kissed her—not gentle, not careful, not controlled. Everything I had held back poured into this kiss—anger, need, fear, claim, fucking possession…everything raw emotion I felt.My hand tightened at her jaw, angling her head as I deepened it, pulling her closer, and closer—like I could keep her there, like I could fuse her to myself, like I could make her understand without words…And she responded.God—she responded.Her fingers gripped my shirt, pulling me in just as hard. A broken sound left her and that was it for my control to shatter completely.I grabbed her, kissing her hard and letting my feet move as I carried her in my arms and not stopping until I laid her in my bed. I broke the kiss to stare at her eyes, checking to see if she’d stop me, begging her with my eyes not to because I don’t think I’d survive it. As if, reading my mind she lifted on her elbows and slowly kissed me.Fuck! She tasted sweet.She opened her mouth more and I took the opportunity and pushed
DravenI dragged her through the hall, past surprised expressions, through a corridor heading for my chambers as the noise from the party began to fade away. Elara kept struggling to get free, “Let go of me,” she said repeatedly but I didn’t stop or release her until the door to my chambers shut hard behind us enough to make the walls vibrate.I turned to face her as she yanked her hand out of my grasp, immediately stepping back to put distance between us.“Have you lost your mind?!” she demanded.“Yes!” I answered immediately, and honestly.Her expression faltered as her chest rose and fell.“What is wrong with you?!” Her voice shook but not weak though just furious.Good. She should be angry. It was better than the way she looked at me before—like I was nothing.“You were leaving with him.” My voice came out low.Her brows furrowed. “So?”“So?” I stepped closer. “You think I didn’t see it?” I continued, my voice dropping. “The way you look at him. The way you let him touch you like
ElaraElysia really enjoyed decorating the hall for Lior’s party. She said to let her be in charge of decorating that she’d surprised me but I swear Elysia’s inner child came out to play with colors…“I know it’s a kids’ birthday but you really outdid yourself with the color theme.” I said, as I came to stand by her.“And let’s pretend like you don’t know everyone’s staring at this killer dress. Oh my god, Lar. You are killing it.”Elysia looked really beautiful too in her red dress and I know everyone was staring. Maris had done a killer job for me. I was leaving Ironfang and I wanted to go unforgettable. “Thank you, Sia.”“Plus children love color."Music floats through the air as light and celebratory blended with the guests’ laughter and not so quiet conversations. Servants moved gracefully serving guests with balanced trays and practiced smiles.It was perfect.I watched with a smile on my face as Lior ran past Draven in his royal attire but I didn’t look up at him—just Lior as
DravenThe hall was too bright and too colorful. It was a kid’s birthday but Elysia should have toned down on the coloring.My son’s second birthday. I was witnessing it.Lior stood at the center of it all, small and smiling, surrounded by the people who adored him.I felt her before I saw her. She was late but she was breathtakingly late. The moment Elara stepped into the hall—women eyed with envy and men ogled. She wore a black dress that swallowed the light that gave it back in fragments. Tiny glimmers scattered all over the fabric like a night sky and every movement she made sent a quiet shimmer through it, subtle…making it impossible to ignore.My gaze raked all over her body as the gown clung to her like it had been designed for her and no one else. The curve across her breasts shouldn’t have worked. It was revealing but she wore it with controlled precision. She looked impossible to forget. My jaw tightened.My attention snaps back at her. A fine chain trailed down the cente
DravenIn the infirmary, I watched as Astra healed me first before my two soldiers. When I had interrogated the prisoner, he did tell me what was going on and I knew what to expect but it still took me by surprise. I had to pierce one on the left side of its chest purely by coincidence and saw it die before I yelled out to everyone that its weakness was on the left hand side.It was a tough battle but we drove them out of Silvermoon. I’ve ordered Kael to make sure moonshade root is being distributed to the pack for those who were beaten.“Elara, come apply the finishing herb,” Astra said. I tensed immediately and she caught one.Sly old woman!She knew Elara and I weren’t in a good headspace. Elara slowly came to me and without meeting my eyes, she applied a herb that was cool against my skin. I didn’t know if she felt it but my eyes never left her face. Her eyes, her nose, her…mouth.I gulped and averted my eyes elsewhere.“Elysia, come help me find the red spawn root,” Astra said a
ElaraI couldn’t sleep a wink so when Elysia knocked on the door and told me it was noon. I didn’t believe it.“Noon? Are you sure?” I asked, still sleepy.I went to the window and it was definitely noon. No wonder Lior’s been playing around the entire room.Shit! He hasn’t had breakfast.Plus if it’s noon, then the prisoner might already have been executed. “The prisoner—has he been executed?”Elysia shakes her head as Lior comes to run into her arms. She picks him up. “Oh! Big man, gaining a lot of weight are we?”Lior laughed despite not understanding the meaning of her words.I heaved a sigh of relief on hearing that. “There’s something else. Kael questioned him this morning and found out he was trying to steal the moonshade root for some wounded soldiers.”My mind dropped, "Wounded soldiers? Has Thorrnshade been attacked?”“No. No. It was the Silvermoon pack. They came to Thornshade for help and apparently the majority of soldiers were wounded by Volkava’s beasts. He came to st
ElaraThe Hollowed Vale didn’t feel welcoming. I guess it’s why it’s called the Hollowed Vale. Fog pressed in from all sides the moment we got to the entrance. It felt thick and cold, I shivered.It felt like the Hollowed Vale breathed but not like a living thing but that slow, patient awareness t
ElaraLior’s screaming tore me out of the deepest parts of my sleep. The red rash on his collarbone was back and worse, it had spread. I pick him up but he’s thrashing about. So, I did the one thing that came to mind— I cast a sleeping spell and he in a few minutes, he’d fallen asleep.I breathed
Draven Elara began packing supplies— potions, elixirs, weird books that look like Astra’s grimoires. I watched as she moved around their house.Her mother’s words echoed in my mind. “The rash will worsen if Lior isn’t treated with the Bloodbloom Petal and it grows only in—““… the Hollowed Vale,”
ElaraThe lady wakes up an hour later.I stood cleaning my hands. I get the feeling wouldn’t like me using her herbs. I’ll replace them later.She groans, “My head,” then her eyes lands on me. She goes for her sword but her sheath is empty.I raised the sword up, “Looking for this?”“Careful, that’







