LOGINMy heart slammed against my ribs as Ezra yanked me through the heavy steel door of his tech lab, his grip tight enough to leave marks.
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded, shaking free once we were inside. The room hummed with the low buzz of servers and glowing monitors that cast sharp blue light across his face. He locked the door behind us with a solid click and spun around. His eyes looked wild, like he hadn't slept in days. "You need to see this, AveThe alarms screamed through my skull the moment Ezra's fingers flew across his portable rig."Got us a backdoor," Ezra muttered, eyes glued to the glowing screen in the dim service tunnel. Sweat already beaded on his forehead under the flickering neon bleed from above. "Palace security's layered thick, but nothing I can't peel back. Give me thirty seconds."I crouched beside him, pulse hammering. "Make it twenty. Lila's goons are probably sweeping every level by now. Kenji, you watching the corridor?"Kenji pressed against the wall, pistol low. "Clear for now. But hurry it up, tech boy. We need eyes on the inner grid before they lock us out completely."Jax shifted behind us, scanning the shadows. "This feels off. Too quiet after what we saw upstairs.""Quiet is good," Ezra shot back, typing faster. "Their firewalls are old empire standard with some fresh patches. I'm slidi
The palace corridors hummed with danger the second we slipped past the outer gates. One wrong glance and it was over.Neon lights from the capital bled through high windows, casting sharp blue and violet streaks across marble floors that looked too polished for the blood about to spill. I tugged at the stiff collar of my dignitary robes, the fabric heavy with fake medals and embroidered lies. Kenji moved like smoke beside me, his hand brushing my arm once to steer me left down a narrower hall."Keep your head down, Avery," he whispered, voice tight. "Guards change in three minutes. We need to hit the inner court before then."I nodded, heart slamming against my ribs. "You sure this disguise holds? We look like we stepped out of some trade delegation from the outer islands.""Exactly the point," he shot back, flashing a quick grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Nobody questions rich foreigners throwing around credits. Just follow my lead and
The dragon's scales cracked like thunder splitting a tree, and suddenly a man stood where the beast had been, eyes locked on mine with zero warning.I froze mid-step on the beach, tools still in hand from patching the yacht. Avery spun beside me, half-shifted with claws out. The crew scattered behind us, shouting questions, but this guy just raised his hands slow, like he knew one wrong move meant death."Easy," he said, voice smooth but edged with exhaustion. "No more fire. No more fighting. I am Prince Kenji of the Eastern Empire. That test is over.""Test?" Avery growled, stepping forward. "You nearly roasted us all yesterday. Call that a test? Start talking before I finish what I started on your wing."Kenji nodded, brushing sand from his dark hair. He looked young, maybe late twenties, with sharp features and tattoos that glowed faint gold on his bare arms. No clothes after the shift, but he didn't seem to care. "Fair point, S
The stars exploded into view the second we hit that hidden clearing, but nothing prepared me for the way Avery looked at me under them."Damien, you seeing this?" she whispered, her voice low and rough from the day's chaos. The hot spring bubbled softly ahead, steam curling up like an invitation we couldn't ignore. Our boat sat half wrecked on the beach, crew already patching what they could, but right now it was just us slipping away."Yeah, I see it," I said, stepping closer. The water glowed soft blue from some underwater glow, lighting her face. "After that dragon mess, this feels like the island's way of saying sorry."She laughed, short and real. "Sorry? More like a trap. Look at us, stranded here. You think the crew will miss us?""Marco's got them busy with the hull. They'll be fine for a couple of hours." I kicked off my shoes, toes sinking into warm sand. "You gonna stand there all night or join me?"Avery pe
The sky ripped open with a roar that shook the yacht to its bones. Flames poured down like molten rain, and I knew in that split second we were all dead if we didn't move."Dragon!" I screamed, grabbing the railing as the deck ignited in a whoosh of heat. "Avery, get down!"She didn't listen. She never did. Her eyes locked on the massive crimson shape circling above, wings beating like thunder. The beast was huge, scales gleaming blood-red under the sun, its jaws wide and spitting another burst of fire straight at the stern."Stay back, all of you!" Avery shouted over the crackle of burning wood. Crew members scattered, coughing through the smoke. One guy, Marco, tripped near the flames. "I got this!""You got this? That's a freaking dragon!" I yelled, heart hammering as I yanked Marco clear. The heat singed my eyebrows. "We need to dive, swim for it!"Avery spun toward me, her face fierce. "No time for swimming. This
The sea spray hit my face like a challenge as our luxury yacht cut through the waves, leaving the shore and Jax's watchful eye behind, but something in the air already felt off."Damien, this yacht is perfect," Avery said, leaning against the rail beside me, her hair whipping in the wind. "Luxury on the water while we chase that map. Ezra, you sure the engines will hold for the crossing?"Ezra adjusted a panel nearby, tools in hand. "Engines are solid. I checked every inch before we left. Jax has home locked down tight. Sovereign, you feeling the pull already?"I wrapped an arm around Avery's waist, pulling her closer. "Pull is strong. But right now I am focused on us. Avery, that hair from your mother. It has us moving fast. Tell me again what you sense out here."She smiled up at me, hand on my chest. "Sense her stronger over water. Damien, this romance on the waves is what we needed after the crown. Ezra, you mind giving us a mi
"You think you can just lock me in this damn cage and call it protection?" I spat, circling Jax in the training room like a cornered animal ready to bite back.Sweat already slicked my skin under the harsh lights. The estate's training room smelled of rubber mats and polished wood, but
"This should be quick and sweet."I braced myself for what was coming, fear rising fast in my throat. This was it. No one was coming to save me.The guy grabbed the front of my already stained shirt and yanked hard. The fabric tore at the collar with a sharp rip. Cold air hit my skin as another one
I barely slept that night. When morning came, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for my first day at Blackthorn Academy. I told myself I could handle it. I had survived worse schools before. But the moment I stepped out of the car, I knew today would be different."Look who decided to show u
I clutched my bag tighter and hurried down the dark hallway toward my new room, the sound of rain still pounding against the tall windows like a warning I should have listened to long ago.A strong hand grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways before I could even reach my door. I stumbled and nearly f







