LOGINMona's POV: "Kade?" Sebastian turned to me the instant she said it. The name hung in the air like smoke. I stayed still, staring at the door, wondering how Kade even knew I was here and what he could possibly want with me. "Should I let him in, miss?!” the woman called from the other side of the door, her voice muffled. "I'll be out in a minute!" I called back. "Absolutely not, Mona." Sebastian's voice dropped low, meant for my ears only, his gaze locked on mine, holding me in place. "I need to know why he's here, Sebastian." I took his hands in mine. "What if it's urgent?" "You know damn well there's nothing urgent he could have to tell you at this hour, Mona.” His voice turned firm, stern. This was not the flirty Sebastian from moments ago. "He hasn't even bothered to check on the man he almost killed, and yet..." "I know what you're thinking." I nodded, lifting my hands to cradle his face, my thumbs smoothing over his cheekbones. "But I need
Mona's POV: "I thought I'd never see you again," I whispered, my forehead pressed to his, a tear sliding down my cheek. "I thought..." The tear fell onto the fabric over his thigh. "Mona, why are you..." He pulled back the instant he felt it, cupping my cheek. "There's no need to cry." He dipped his head, tilting it to catch my eyes, since I couldn't bring myself to look up. "I'm here. Aren't I?" "I know that," I sniffed. "But you're in this situation because of me, Sebastian." "Mona, please." He held me closer. "This had nothing to do with you, and you know that." I looked up. "But if I hadn't let Kade in..." My voice cracked even more. "If I'd just left him alone, if I hadn't been so selfish, this would never have..." "And if I hadn't pushed you away, you'd never have had a reason to." He cut me off softly. I let out a deep breath. Yes, Sebastian had a point. If he had given me the attention I needed, maybe I wouldn't have run to Kade in the first place. But
Mona’s POV: I froze. The moment the words landed, it felt like I was suffocating. Like I could hardly breathe. Because this was it. This was the moment. The doctor was going to tell Sebastian what he'd seen—that I had magic. And only the Goddess knew what my fate would be after he did. Rejection? Execution? Hate? "What do you mean, it wasn't you?" A weak, confused smile flickered on and off Sebastian's face—unstable—like he couldn't quite hold it. My heart was pounding. My hands already sweating. I rubbed them dry on my cloak—again and again—my gaze fixed on the doctor's mouth. Waiting. Watching. For the next thing he was going to say. It felt like the world was closing in on me. Goddess, have mercy. I didn't even realize I'd held my breath, waiting anxiously for him to say it. To say I healed him. And not the routine way. But with something damning. Something gravely unacceptable in Nightfang. Magic. I could feel Kiara snarling within me, bracing her
Mona’s POV: "So it's you?" Doctor Ridge's jaw was dropped. His eyes—wide, unblinking—fixed on me like I was something he'd never seen before. "You're the sorceress?" He'd seen me. He'd caught me. Fuck. I tried to speak—to find the words to explain that it wasn't what it looked like, that I was no sorceress, that I didn't even know I'd had these powers until— "What did you do to him?” He went on—his eyes narrowing with curiosity as he slowly approached me. "I—" My voice came out scraped. Raw. "I don't…" I shook my head, feigning innocence as hard as I could. "…I don't understand what you're talking about, Doctor." "I saw the light." He kept stepping forward—slow, careful, like he was approaching something dangerous. His fingers darted from my hands to Sebastian's and back. "It came from your hands. It engulfed him whole." I swallowed. Hard. "I didn't… it wasn't…" I was rambling now—searching for words that would make what had just happened seem less intense. Bu
Kade’s POV: I didn't move. I couldn't. Because if I made one more noise, I was definitely going to get caught. That's if I wasn't already caught. Goddess, please. I stayed still, holding my breath as I pressed myself hard against the wall. Praying. Begging the goddess to let me live this one time. The only sound was my own heartbeat, slamming against my ribs like it was trying to escape. "Damian." The witchunter's voice was barely above a whisper, but it echoed in the silent tunnel. "Did you hear that?" "Y-yes, Uncle." I heard him turn on the gravel. "I think it came from over there." "You're sure no one followed you?" There was uncertainty in the witchunter's voice now. Doubt. Suspicion. "Not that I know of, Uncle." And then— Footsteps. Coming toward me. I could hear them crunching against the gravel, each step closer than the last. Fuck. I could feel my pulse in my throat. In my temples. In my fingertips. Every instinct screaming at me to r
Kade’s POV: I waited until Damian was far enough ahead before slipping into the shadows behind him. He moved very quick—very careful—like a man who'd done this a hundred times before. What the hell was going on? I followed him into the hallway that led to the guest wing. He was definitely meeting up with someone there. A woman perhaps? But who? Keisha's bridesmaids were the only people staying in the guest wing. So why would he- Goddess, no. What if he was cheating on Keisha with one of them? Oh, shit. This couldn't be good. I watched from a corner, waiting for him to stop at one of the chambers in the guest wing and knock. Waiting to see who the woman was, to see which of Keisha's bridesmaids would be cruel enough to have an affair with her fiancé days before the wedding. But he kept moving, passing every room I knew they were occupying. And when he reached the end of the hallway—when he lit a torch from the bracket on the wall—he glanced around. I







