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18 - Two Years Ago: The River
Date de publication:
2026-05-15 18:00:32
Dernier chapitre
The Bride Wore Blood 99 - Seige
The stone beneath my slippers thrummed with a frantic, rhythmic vibration. The wall itself, reacting to the shifting mass of Boren warriors who had claimed its heights. I kept a white-knuckled grip on the Elara and the spear I’d collected. Samsan clinging onto her sister, pulling them close to my skirts as we moved along the ramparts.Around us, the wall had been transformed into a gauntlet of fur and muscle. The Boren shifters, beings I had once imagined as savages, now formed a living phalanx of protection. I watched, breathless, as massive wolves, bears, and great cats paced the stone, their eyes scanning the chaos below with a predatory focus that made the air feel thick. They were a wall within a wall, their loyalty to Thade and, by extension, to me, acting as the only barrier between us and the madness of Valerius’s making.I leaned over the inner crenellations as Rune stood beside me, giving me time to catch my bearings. My heart was hammering against my ribs. Below, in the sha
The Bride Wore Blood 98 - Defense
Lana’s POVRune didn’t wait for the order. As soon as the guards’ refusal hung heavy in the air, she was a blur of lethal motion, launching herself forward as if the distance between us and the Nix guards I recognised hadn't existed. They were people she had grown up with, trained with and knew far too well.I didn't watch the opening strike. I grabbed Elara and Samsan’s hands, their small fingers trembling against my palms, and pulled them back, my gaze fixed only on the path away from the gate. Behind us, the world was fracturing. The frantic, heavy thumping against the iron gate was replaced by the chaotic clash of steel on steel and the savage, guttural snarls of the Boren shifters who had joined the fray.‘Keep your heads down,’ I urged, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. ‘Don't look back.’ For all of my bravado against Rupert, I had a responsibility to keep the girls, and my unborn child safe. I navigated us through the surge of Boren fighters as
The Bride Wore Blood 97 - Snarl
The man beneath my paws was a broken thing, a collection of splintered ribs and desperate, sobbing breaths. I didn't care for his pain. I was a mountain of dark fur and unrestrained instinct, my weight pinning him into the dirt of the forest floor as my jaws hovered inches from his pulse point. Every time I let out a low, tectonic growl, the vibration of my chest against his sternum seemed to rattle the very soul from his body.He smelled of the metallic oil from the crossbow and a sour, overwhelming terror that was far too late to save him. He had aimed at my Queen. He had aimed at my legacy, the fragile life growing beneath Lana’s bronze dress. For that, there was no mercy in me.Behind me, the tournament grounds had descended into a cacophony of panic. Even through the grayscale acuity of my predator vision, I could sense the chaos: the screaming of the Illurian nobility, the clatter of dropped weapons, and the ‘Otherworld hum’ that had once been a low vibration now rising into a f
The Bride Wore Blood 96 - Hunter
Thade’s POVThe roar of the crowd hit like a wall of sound. It vibrated through the stone floor of the royal dais and settled into my bones. Below, in the dust and heat of the arena, two knights charged at one another, the rhythmic thundering of their destriers' hooves echoing the frantic pulse of my own heart. I miss Lana at my side already, stomach tight with a knot of anxiety. I can’t follow her like a shadow, looming over as she carries our child. She deserves more faith and trust than that. I sat in the high chair of the King, my hands resting on the cold stone armrests, my posture as rigid as the metal circlet around my head. Every nerve in my body was screaming. It wasn't just the heat or the smell of horse sweat and iron; it was the land itself. I could feel the magical power around me intensifying with the heightened emotions of the crowd. A low-level hum that made my skin prickle. We were an anchor holding onto a sinking ship, and the weight of the Otherworld magic felt hea
The Bride Wore Blood 95 - Battle
It’s rare that Rune and I argue or disagree, but we stand opposite each other with the two small girls behind me. Neither of us are willing to back down. The great Boren Bear, sensing the tension, nudged my arm with its wet, heavy snout, a silent plea to keep our distance from the crushing press of the crowd at the city gates. I glanced at Rune, his jaw set in a line of stubborn refusal. ‘We have to do something, Rune,’ I hissed, gesturing toward the desperate throngs.‘They’re struggling, and we have the means to help.’ Rune shook his head, his hands steadying me despite the heat of our disagreement. ‘It’s too dangerous, Lana. We stay back. It’s my duty to protect you, above anything and anyone else.’‘And it’s my duty to protect my people,’ I insist, a surge of frustration moving through my body. I’m squinting, my glasses lost in our retreat from the arena. All around, across the tournament field I can see Otherworlders, fighting against guards and soldiers who have tried to regro
The Bride Wore Blood 94 - Unexpected
I’ve done enough training with Rune over the years, to not be completely helpless. Rune pushed into the arena, so that the wooden barriers could divert the stampeding crowd around us. I step forward, sheltering the two small girls behind me, as I face the Boren warrior who had been trying to take Rune out of the competition. He stares down at me, dark eyes glistening as he lets out a roar. His hands extended to his sides as Rune vaulted the railing and landed beside me, every bit the prepared warrior. Ready to finish her combat against an attacker. Instead of lunging forward, the Boren warrior paused, his chest heaving as he locked eyes with me. To my shock, he bows low. A deep a and respectful gesture that feels entirely out of place amidst the panic around us. Straightening his back, he turned his gaze toward the panic-stricken crowd surging against the barriers. With a sweeping gesture toward the chaos, his expression shifted from the heat of battle to a grim, focused resolve. He
The Bride Wore Blood 4 - Two Years Ago: A Whore
Coy? I don’t think I’ve ever played coy, I wouldn’t even know what it is. I feel all the air trapped in my lungs, like there isn’t enough space for it. They’re burning but I can’t think beyond the sense of his face so close to mine. The overwhelming awareness of the heat from his bare body and his c
The Bride Wore Blood 3 - Two Years Ago: Storm in the Summer
Two Years Ago - Lana’s POV ‘You can just stay with us,’ Rune shouts over the loud crack of thunder as we race across the courtyard. The water that splashes up from the puddles is warm against my ankles but the heavy rain hurts. Pinging against my face as we run. I look across at her, her short b
The Bride Wore Blood 2 - Two Years Ago: Thade
Two Years Ago - Thade’s POV Summer in the Year 514 It’s late at night, the hours starting to stretch towards the morning. I should be fast asleep, my body aches, muscles burning from exertion. But despite the storm that’s raging over the city, I can’t sleep. Thunder cracks and rolls, shaking th
The Bride Wore Blood 1 - Unbreakable Vow
Lana Air won't reach my lungs. My heart hammers an erratic rhythm against my ribs, aching. On the other side of the doors, the Nobility of Illure wait to watch me marry a monster. ‘You should be excited, Lana!’ My mother squeezes my fingers as I bend double, gasping. ‘I'm not going to do it.’
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