ANMELDEN"What sort of talk is that? I do not understand." Panic rose in me, and I fought to keep it from spilling into my voice because the last thing Bae needed was my fear added to her own. "What is going on? Where is Cel'theren? How could he leave you in this state?""He does not know," Bae whispered.Her nails dragged over her arm again, and I caught her wrist before she could tear the already broken skin further."I told him the truth... last night." Her eyes closed, anguish tightening her features. "He was so angry, and rightfully so. He walked out.""Whatever reservations he has about you right now, this is not the time for them. He has to put them aside." I glanced at the sisters. "She is in full heat, she cannot ride this out on her own, no one rides out a full heat alone!""W-we know, my lady." The fair-haired one answered, looking just as scared as I feel. Swallowing down another bolt of panic, I returned my gaze at Baevera. “We are talking three days of relentless pain and strain
LADY BAEVERA"Calm down, Baevera. Stay calm.” But even as I spoke, I was already panicking, and every part of me knew it. My hands were shaking, my heart was racing, and my breaths were already coming too quickly.I was going into full heat today of all days, and Revandrel was not here. What was I supposed to do?I paced across the chamber, trying to think, but my thoughts were everywhere at once. The growing restlessness in my body made it worse.My limbs kept jerking with the need to move, my skin itched beneath my nightdress, and there was an uncomfortable pressure gathering low in my belly that made concentration almost impossible. I did not even know what I was trying to concentrate on anymore.I moved to the mirror, glanced at it, and swallowed hard. My eyes were already going red."The seven gods…" This one was coming fast. Or perhaps I had slept through the earlier signs and it had already been building for hours. I did not know. I did not know anything anymore.Leaving the ro
LORD REVANDREL"I found Yesta Asterbourg," I told Jesse.She reared back, surprise in her eyes. "The mastermind you have been looking for all these centuries?"I nodded. "Not exactly found him, but I know who he is now. It turns out he has been living under another identity, and I have come face-to-face with that identity before without knowing it was him.""Wait." Jesse held up a hand. "Let me understand this. You have encountered this male before?""I have. It is a long story." I rubbed at the ache forming across my forehead. "The thing is, Baevera already knew who he was. She has known for a long time."Jesse's brows furrowed, but she did not immediately offer an opinion.A moment passed before she said, "You are going to have to take me through that again from the beginning."I breathed out, already exhausted by the thought of recounting it. "The short version is: her friends, the same ones who tormented me when we were younger, conspired to kidnap her some centuries later. During
LORD REVANDRELI rode into what remained of the night with a heavy chest, a weary body, and an aching soul. The wind moved against my face as Bouncy's hooves struck the cloverstone, the two of us swallowed by darkness and speed. I had no destination in mind. I only knew I could not remain inside those walls.Jolan Kolls was Yesta.I rode until the darkness began to pale and the first traces of dawn slowly pushed back the night. Only then did I become aware of the direction I had been taking without deciding to.The metal gates of Frostmoor Keep opened at my approach, the soldiers standing aside without question. Even after the long ride, I did not feel any better than I had when I left."Your master?" I asked the nearest guard as I dismounted."Asleep in his chambers, my lord. Shall I wake him?""No." I took Bouncy's lead myself and walked him to the stables.The Haleward stables were kept with the same order and attention as my own. I found an empty stall and settled Bouncy into it,
LADY BAEVERARevandrel stared at me as though he could not comprehend the words that had just come out of my mouth, even after I had said them twice.I bit my lip until I tasted blood, my anxiety climbing with every second of silence. It had taken everything I had to push past the block in my throat the first and second time. I was not certain I could manage a third.So I waited, because I knew any moment now the meaning would assemble itself and land. And I saw when it did.I watched the softness drain from his eyes. One emotion chased another in sequence across his face: disbelief, perplexity, denial…settling at last into confusion."Yesta Asterbourg." He said it slowly. "The Yesta Asterbourg."I nodded, shame weighing down every inch of me. "Revandrel, I am sorry. I have always wanted to tell you, but—""Wait." He shook his head. "Let us go back a little, all right? I do not understand what you are telling me. It must be the past few days. What happened to you, it does things to a
“Are you not ashamed of the sounds you are capable of making?" I scolded. "Even when the pain is severe, there are certain noises a male should simply never produce.”“Please! I do not know where Jolan is! I would tell you if I knew, I swear it!” His muscles stood out in rigid cords. Sweat poured down a body bound so tightly the ropes themselves had bitten deep and cut off proper circulation. The sight was rather satisfying.I smirked. “Well, that is too bad, isn’t it?” I selected the next iron, then discarded it. Wrong letter. The following two were equally useless. “I need an E,” I told him conversationally. “Where has the E gone—Ah. There it is." I lifted the correct iron, my mood considerably improved.The chair legs scraped against stone as Vido thrashed in a futile attempt to twist away. “Please! Have mercy!”Resuming my hum, I held it over the flame, watching the tip glow a clean, eager orange."I have a mate," he sobbed. “A daughter—”"You should have considered them at any
“I am never drinking from her,” I said flatly, pulling out the red-and-black robe from the upper rack.“You know the hunger is only going to worsen, right?” he said. “The bond does not just appear, Revan. It demands to be sealed.”“I will take my chances.”Alaric sighed, the kind of sigh that usual
I waited longer than I thought possible, my blood dripping into Revandrel's slightly parted lips.Doubt began to creep in: perhaps he could not. Perhaps it was already too late. My knees burned where they pressed into the sand, back aching from the curve of my spine as I hovered over him, but I he
By the time I finished, her breathing was still uneven, but the panic was ebbing.She stilled.I straightened, brushing my hands together, and turned toward the door.“Evan…” she whispered behind me. “Evan, I am so sorry.”I stilled. My back went ramrod straight, fingers curling into fists at my si
LADY BAEVERAI could not feel my legs.They trembled uselessly, refusing to bear any weight as the world still spun in slow, dizzy circles.So… this was what release feels like. I just had an orgasm.It had felt so good, so beautiful, so untainted. Gods, so I still have it in me. Tears welled in my







