LOGINI 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
“No.” I looked up at him through my lashes. “I mean it. At dinner, when you told me about your vision… I didn’t fully understand. But now…” I glanced back at the soldiers. “Now I see what you’re building. What we could build together.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer. “You’ve changed your
“What’s your name?” I met his gaze and held it. “Viktor.” He studied my eyes through the slats in my helmet for another long moment. I could see his suspicion in the way his hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword. If he called for backup, I was done. I’d have to fight my way out, and that wou
Damon waved his hand. “Oh, you needn’t worry about that. I have the best healers in the realm, and besides—”“Right. I’m sure you have a ruby for that, too,” I muttered.He chuckled. “I’ve got a ruby for everything, Natalia. You want to be more beautiful? Smarter? Faster? Stronger? I can provide all
Andrei’s POVThe guard’s spear gleamed in the dim light as he thrust it toward my chest. I dodged left, my paws slipping on the icy stone. The cliff’s edge was just a few feet away. One wrong move and I would plunge into the abyss below. He jabbed again. This time I lunged forward, aiming my fangs







