로그인I straightened up. My heart was pounding. I looked around the room and for a single, disorienting moment, I had no idea where I was. The black stone walls, the red sky beyond the window, the dead air of this place—none of it felt right. None of it felt like mine. I felt like a man who had woken up m
Andrei’s POVThe collar of my shirt was pissing me off.I had fastened it twice already and it still insisted on sitting crooked, pulling too tight on the left side. I undid it a third time and redid it, slower, watching my hands in the mirror rather than my own face. My reflection had been botherin
Natalia’s POVHe didn’t hesitate.The moment I swung the rod toward him, his hand shot out and closed around my wrist like a vise. My arm wrenched sideways, and I felt the bones grind together under his grip, and the rod fell. It clattered somewhere on the stone floor, rolling away into the darkness
Andrei’s POVThe room was warm. The bed was soft and plush, the pillows made of feathers and velvet. Everything smelled familiar, the kind of scent that you recognize from a past life but can never put a finger on its source.Home.The woman was laying next to me, just as she always did. Amber hair
But I would do it, because the alternative was my children going through whatever came next, and that was not something I was willing to consider.I wasn’t certain yet. That was the only reason I was still trying so hard now. Because there was still a small part of me that thought that there must be
Natalia’s POVThey came for me after what felt like a full day. I say felt like because it really could have been any amount of time, or none at all. But someone did bring me some slop to eat at some point, so that had to have meant that at least a full cycle had passed.I was on my feet before the
Finally, I managed, “Your mother is… She died.”Jane’s eyes went as wide as saucers, instantly brimming with tears. “What?”“That’s not true,” Max said matter-of-factly. He tightened his arms across his chest, shut his eyes, and shook his head. “Mommy isn’t dead.”My heart ached. Burned. I thought I
Natalia’s POVI was still laying in bed with my baby pressed to my chest when the King summoned me for dinner. I didn’t have a choice; even though my legs trembled and every sinew in my body burned when I moved, I had no option other than to obey.After all, if I refused, what would he do to my chil
The next day was a blur. I split my time between Max’s bedside and Damon’s. My brother was still unconscious, still barely clinging to life despite the blood transfusion. Grace said he would pull through, but she didn’t sound certain.And Max… Max was sick. Feverish. He would wake sometimes, mumblin
Andrei’s POVThe twins were set up in my tent, which was closest to the central area of camp and thus closest to the bonfire. When I lifted the flap and stepped inside, I spotted them nestled beneath a great heap of fur blankets, and yet they were still shivering from the cold.“Daddy!” Jane perked







