LOGINShare
46 - Empty
publish date:
2026-06-19 04:04:03
Latest chapter
The Bride Wore Blood 50 - Stifled
The air in the Solarium is too thick, perfumed with the cloyingly sweet scent of jasmine that couldn't quite mask the more worrying scents beneath, of decaying wood and a building that beneath its gilded exterior and elaborate decor hadn’t been maintained. The contradiction is something I’ve started associated with my gilded cage. It has been impossible to avoid the rigidity of palace life in Thade’s absence. This is a beautiful airless trap where every smile is a dagger and every tea service is a negotiation.I’m tired of defending an absent Husband that I don’t know, but I want to save my country, not destabilise it. I lean back in the velvet-tufed chair, fingers tracing the intricate flowers stitched into the hem of my sleeve. I’m dressed as a Queen, with all of the magic now stripped from the dressing room, it seemed safer to wear an armour of elaborate clothes. I have a satin underdress, elaborately jewelled, and over the top a dress of light peacock blue in contrast. The sleeve
The Bride Wore Blood 49 - Late Hours
It’s late by the time Ronin and Delia depart, leaving Cynan and I to face one another. Without more of the Otherworld bringing their magic to the land, Illure will fail. Adulphus knew it too, but he was too slow to act. I’ve inherited a Kingdom on the brink of collapse and it weighs on me. Like stones in my body, lead in my blood. I lean back as the low candles gutter, the tavern air growing oppressive and cold, chilling the sweat on my neck. The platter is empty, the wine and glasses cleared, yet Cynan remains, watching me with an intensity that makes the small room feel like a cage. Beyond the door, the last patrons shuffle away, leaving a silence so heavy it rings in my ears. ‘You truly think I’m fated to be with Lana?’ I ask the only question that remains on my lips. In all of the dire situations my country faces, how come this is the one that can hurt me the most?‘Nix isn’t a name from the Otherworld,’ Cynan pulls forward the list of Otherworld bloodlines in the Illure Nobilit
The Bride Wore Blood 48 - Blight
The rock of the cave room was almost as hard as her face. She held his gaze and the moment seemed to drag on. He had no reply that would calm the storm. Eventually, he sighed and said the only thing his thoughts could give him; ‘the marriage and the feast were necessary.’‘Lady Cynan believes that Illure doesn’t have much time,’ Delia spoke up from beside me, one of her hands clasped in Ronin’s beneath the table, the other curled around a glass of wine. ‘I’m aware of the risks,’ I look across at her, seeing the worry in my own expression, mirrored in her. Illure was her whole life before Ronin, she didn't want the country to fall.‘You need more Otherworld within your border,’ Cynan’s voice is husky with frustration, ‘every day delayed is a day the land decays.’‘I scouted some of the border,’ Ronin leans forward, glancing at Delia with concern. ‘There are already signs of blight in the forests.’ The room, cosy as it is, hewn into the rock is dancing with shadows. Am I imagining dark
The Bride Wore Blood 47 - Meetings
Thade’s POVWe’re a twelve day run out from the capital, heading North to the border of Boren. Ironically in the lands held by the Duke of Nix. My own land covers one side of a sweeping mountain covered in thick forest, Madder. But on the sweeping slopes the stretch down into a glacial valley and a sparkling river, it’s Nix. There are less natural defenses between Nix and Boren, so the Dukes charged with protecting Illure have spent generations building towers, reinforcing their castle and stretching walls across the border.It’s still easier to cross the border here than in Madder, if you’re not entirely human.You should have done this before the wedding. Moira’s voice is clipped in my mind.Believe me, I tried. I reply, tired. Moira doesn’t keep her judgements to herself. Better late than never, Fin interrupts us. Always cheerful, I blame his youth for his optimistic personality. Fin carries himself with the easy, unbothered grace of a man who is entirely comfortable in his own sk
The Bride Wore Blood 46 - Empty
'Don't,' I said, my voice a murmer in the quiet room. Even the birds outside had stopped singing. 'Lana,' he breathed, a low, dangerous sound that usually pulled at the invisible tether between us. He took a step closer, the floorboards groaning under his weight, and I felt the heat of him, the sheer physical gravity he exerted on my world.'I said don't', I repeated. I turned my back to him, physically severing the connection. I felt his presence hover, the air prickling with his frustration. I didn't care. I couldn't afford to. Every instinct I possessed was screaming that if I let him in, I would be forever consumed by the very thing I had vowed to fight. I’d already given him too much ground. He already knew my intention. Even if I’d started to doubt my resolve. There was a long, agonizing silence where I held my breath, waiting for him to force the issue, to break me open as he always did with a single touch or a look. I waited for the command, for the manipulation. But there w
The Bride Wore Blood 45 - Jolted
His words are a jolt of energy, the final spark I need to force my limbs into motion. I stand, swaying, my body rebelling against the effort. I need to leave. This is a conversation for someone with strength, for someone not currently unraveling. I pick myself up from the chair and stand, swaying as I make my way out towards the door. This is not a conversation I can have with him. I manage three unsteady steps before he scoops me up, his arms locking around me. I don’t protest; my legs are leaden, my chest a tight knot of panic and exhaustion. I hate this dependency and weakness but the assault of magic on my senses this morning has left me hollow. I need him, and the betrayal of that need tastes like ash in my mouth. His heart beats a steady drum against my ear as he carries me effortlessly towards the door and out into the corridor. Maggie and Rosa exchange alarmed glances and follow behind us, hitching their skirts as they scurry.Thade dismisses them at the door with a look, ‘h
You may also like
Forbidden Taboos : Steamy dark stories
Lihanmac 32.8K viewsOnce Upon Little
Cendrillon199624.5K viewsIf The Crown Fits
Kiraran28.6K viewsTransylvania Academy: What It Takes To Be a Monster
IceFontana1825.0K viewsjourney to become the strongest god Season 2
kirito143 viewsAshes of the Sky
prettylittlescribe94 viewsRun Fox Run
A. L. Lacey213 viewsMy Walking Disaster
Iam_leeyah983 views
