Mag-log inCiara’s povMy fingers turned cold.“Ciara?”I shook my head hard, and the presence seemed to retreat, although not completely. “It spoke again.”Dax’s entire body went rigid. His eyes sharpened, and that dark pressure I had felt earlier returned around him. “What did it say?”I hesitated for only a second before forcing the truth out. “It told me not to let you test me.”Something changed in Dax then. The uncertainty did not disappear, but it became determination.“Then we are testing you.”“Dax...”“If something inside my mate understands enough to interfere with what you tell me, especially when it is asking you to collect essence from me and my brothers, I am not leaving it alone.”The Alpha beneath his calm voice made the words feel final.I hated that part of me agreed with him.Fear sat like a stone inside my stomach, yet ignoring the thing felt worse. It had already started speaking outside the void. What happened if next time it did more than speak?“Fine,” I whispered.Dax n
Ciara’s POVThe warmth surrounding Dax suddenly became heavier, pressing against the room until I could almost feel it against my skin. For one brief second, something dark moved through his eyes before he forced it back down, but I had already seen it and that small reaction frightened me more than I wanted to admit because Dax rarely looked genuinely disturbed by anything. I tightened my fingers in the front of his shirt as though holding on to him could somehow keep me anchored to reality.“She kept saying she needed more Blackthorne essence,” I continued, my voice shaking as memories of that horrible void returned. “Not only yours either. She said we needed it. There were things behind her, Dax. I couldn’t see their faces or even understand what they were, but there were many of them. I could feel them watching me.” I swallowed hard and forced myself to continue when his expression became more serious. “She said your essence opened the first gate, and then she told me I shoul
Ciara’s POVI woke up with so much energy rushing through my body that I gasped and sat upright.For several seconds, I simply remained there, one hand pressed against my chest while I tried to understand what was happening. My heartbeat was fast, but I was not tired or sick. If anything, I felt too alive. Every nerve beneath my skin seemed awake at once, my hearing strangely sharp enough to catch the faint hum coming from somewhere behind the walls and the soft movement of guards far beyond the closed door. Even the morning light slipping through the curtains looked brighter than usual, every little detail around me standing out with uncomfortable clarity.I looked towards the other side of the bed, it was empty.“Dax?”No answer.The sheets where he had slept were already cold, which meant he had probably left some time ago. I rubbed my face and slowly moved my legs over the side of the bed, expecting my body to protest immediately.It did not.That was probably the strangest part
Author's pov Jasper raised the vial slightly and studied the liquid inside. It appeared black in the dim room, but when he rolled it between his fingers and let the light pass through, a faint red shimmer gathered at the bottom before disappearing again.“No.”Mr. Dagon’s relief vanished. “Stop behaving like a fool.”Jasper ignored the insult. “The older batches were clear.”The older man frowned.“This one is not.”“Formulas change.”“They do.”Jasper turned the vial again. “Interesting timing, though.”Mr. Dagon’s eyes narrowed. “What are you implying?”“Nothing.”Jasper smiled faintly. “I have learned that implications make people nervous.”He held the vial closer to the light. “This formulation appeared after Ciara became pregnant. New colour. Different smells. Different concentration.”Mr. Dagon looked at it more carefully despite himself.Jasper noticed.“You never checked.”“There was no reason to.”“Because Oracle sent it.”“Yes.”The answer came with absolute certainty.Jasp
Author’s POVMr. Dagon jerked away the instant his feet were firmly beneath him. He coughed hard, pressing one hand against his throat while glaring murderously at the younger man. The bruises were already beginning to darken beneath his skin, but humiliation seemed to bother him far more than pain. “I did not come here for your riddles. Give me the Virelune and stop behaving like a child.”“No.”The simple refusal caught him off guard more effectively than shouting would have.Mr. Dagon stared at Jasper. “You cannot refuse.”Jasper straightened his sleeve where the older man’s fingers had wrinkled it, barely sparing him a glance. “And yet somehow, we both just watched me do it.”“She will wake up,” Mr. Dagon snapped, struggling to keep his voice low. “If that woman opens her mouth again, she will tell Ciara things that should have remained buried. Do you understand what that could do to the operation?”“I understand perfectly.”“Then stop this foolishness.”Jasper looked up, and som
Author’s POVMr. Dagon remained on the broken table for several seconds, coughing so violently that his entire body shook.Pain travelled through his chest each time he tried to breathe, and the humiliation seemed to hurt him even more. One hand pressed against his ribs while the other searched for something stable enough to help him stand. The expensive jacket he had worn so proudly earlier was covered in dust, one sleeve torn near the elbow, and whatever dignity he had entered the room with had disappeared beneath Jasper’s shoe.Jasper watched him without offering a hand.There was no satisfaction on his face either and that was almost worse.He looked at Mr. Dagon the same way a man might look at something inconvenient lying across his path.Eventually, Mr. Dagon dragged himself upright. His breathing remained rough, but fury had already begun replacing the shock. “Have you lost your mind?”Jasper said nothing.He bent, picked up the phone that had fallen near his feet and looked







