LOGINAdrain’s POVEvery eye tracked me as I rounded the head of the table, boots ringing against the stone with deliberate, measured steps. I stopped directly in front of Levi, close enough that he had to tilt his head slightly to meet my gaze. Close enough that he could feel the temperature drop around me.“For the good of the kingdom,” I repeated, voice low, almost conversational. “How noble. Tell me, cousin…did the vampire king look impressed when you crawled into his hall uninvited? Did he pat you on the head and call you a good little prince for undermining your own king?”A muscle jumped in Levi’s jaw. Good. I wanted it to hurt.“You speak of alliances and vulnerability,” I continued, circling him now like a wolf sizing up prey that still thought it had teeth. “Yet you forgot the one rule that keeps this kingdom from tearing itself apart…the crown is not a suggestion. My word is not optional. When I say the meeting will be between two kings, that is not an invitation for my cousin t
Adrian’s POVThe heavy doors swung shut behind me with a solid thud that echoed through the hall.Every head in the room turned my way at once. The council members rose to their feet in one smooth motion, chairs scraping lightly against the stone floor.“Your Majesty,” they greeted in unison, voices respectful but tight with curiosity. Bows followed…deep and formal, shoulders straight, eyes lowered the way protocol demanded.I gave a single nod and moved to the head of the long oak table. Only when I dropped into the massive carved chair did the rest of them sit back down, the rustle of robes and the creak of their chairs filling the brief silence.Not everyone.I lifted my hand, stopping Levi and Margaret before they could take their seats.“Dear aunt… cousin…” My voice came out flat, cold, the kind of tone that left no room for bullshit. “I must say…that I’m impressed. I heard you both were quite the handful while I was away.”The air in the room shifted instantly. A few elders exch
Kira’s POVI screamed in frustration, the sound echoing off the walls. How could he do this to me? Why? I wasn’t a prisoner. I am his wife…supposedly.‘He’s right, you know,’ Leah said calmly. ‘You need to stay in one place before you drag us into actual hell next time. Why do you like danger so much?’I glared at nothing. “I’m so disappointed in you, Leah. Taking his side like that.”‘You are completely reckless. I’ll be a moron to take your side,’ she fired back and the betrayal stung.Just then the door opened again.Victoria stepped inside, carrying a tray of refreshments…tea, little sandwiches, fresh fruit. She looked at me chained to the bed, then at the empty doorway, and raised an eyebrow.I exhaled in relief. “Finally. Victoria, you’ll definitely let me out, right?”She didn’t say anything, but she will let me out. I could threaten to make her life a living hell if she doesn’t.Victoria stepped fully into the room, the tray balanced carefully in her hands, and her eyes lande
Kira's POV Adrian rounded the corner like a storm about to break.His eyes locked on me immediately…gold-flecked, blazing with a mix of fury and something rawer that made my stomach twist. The air thickened with his alpha presence, heavy and crackling. Servants scattered out of his path without a word, heads down. Victoria’s arm around my shoulders tightened for a second before she wisely stepped back.He didn’t say anything.Not one word.In two long strides he was on me. Before I could even open my mouth, Adrian bent, hooked an arm behind my knees and another around my back, and lifted me clean off the ground. He tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing, my stomach pressing against the hard muscle there, my legs dangling uselessly down his chest.“Adrian!” I yelped, pounding my fists against his broad back. “Put me down! I can explain—”He didn’t listen. Didn’t even grunt. Just turned on his heel and started walking, his grip firm and unyielding on the back of my thighs
Kira's POV I blinked hard and looked around again, my eyes adjusting to the sudden shift in everything around me.There was no more endless black. No more bottomless pit swallowing the light. Instead, I was standing in a wide, well-lit corridor lined with simple wooden doors and buzzing lights. Servants hurried past us…some carrying trays of late-night snacks, others folding linens, a few whispering quietly as they went about their night routines. The air smelled like fresh bread, wood polish, and faint lavender soap. Normal. Ordinary. Exactly like the servant quarters should smell.My mouth fell open a little. What the hell just happened?I looked around again, heart still racing from the chase that apparently never existed which means I could be losing my mind. “What just happened?” I muttered under my breath. “Am I dreaming? Wasn’t I just in some messed-up tunnel, hearing a voice calling out to me?”Why am I here? How am I here? Wasn't I just surrounded by a maze corridor like
Kira's POVIs this the end?Is this how I would finally die? Not by an accident or by natural cause…but because some monster gripped my shoulder?I couldn’t move. The cold hand didn’t just rest there. It tightened, fingers digging in with a grip that felt too real, too solid for any ghost story. Pain flared where the icy touch met my skin, sharp and biting, like frostbite spreading fast. I wanted to scream, but my throat had seized up, turning every sound into a trapped whimper. The air around me grew heavier, thicker, pressing down on my chest until breathing felt like sucking air through a straw.I didn't dare turn around yet.Cold breath ghosted across the nape of my neck again…slow, deliberate, carrying the faint metallic scent of old blood and damp stone. It made my stomach twist violently. This thing, whatever it was, was tasting my fear. Enjoying it.“Leah…” My mental voice cracked, small and desperate. “What the hell do we do now? I’m frozen. I can’t even twitch. Tell me th
Adrian’s POVMorning hit like a slap. I was already on the throne, legs spread, elbows on my knees, staring at the marble floor like it owed me answers. Four council members sat on the chairs to my left and right, old men in dark robes, pretending to look important. In front of me stood Caroline
Kira’s POV“Liana. Stay.”I froze.Liana froze.Even the air seemed to hold its breath the moment those words left his mouth.For a full second, nobody moved, not even Adrian. The only thing I could hear was the sharp, panicked flutter of Liana’s heartbeat behind me.I turned slowly, very slowly, b
Adrian’s POVHer voice… It sounded more like an ancient oracle speaking through the body of someone that it possessed.Those scared black eyes I met earlier, are now green and they weren’t terrified anymore.They were glazed over as she whispered, "Hello, King Adrian,” in one of the most unnatural
Kira’s POVI walked like a ghost on autopilot, the king’s handprint still burning on my ass, his taste still in my mouth, vampire blood still smeared on my jaw. School. He said school. Like I’m sixteen and late for homeroom. My brain kept replaying the last five minutes on loop…fangs, claws, a wom







