LOGINHe took a step toward her, slow and predatory. "There will never be another. Not while I breathe. Not while I exist."His voice dropped lower. "I would burn every kingdom to ash before I let another man look at you, Sera. Do you understand me?"Sera didn’t move. Her breath quickened. Not in fear, bu
She reached for his arm—He jerked away. "I left because the rut was coming. Because I knew if I stayed, I’d mark you with another child and destroy the last pieces of you I hadn't already taken.""Rhazien—""No." His eyes burned, voice rising like a storm ready to split the world. "You think I don’
The citadel had gone quiet for the night.Lioren had taken the last shift patrolling the outer hall, his boots silent against the stone. Even the flames in the sconces burned low, as if the mountain itself held its breath.Sera had watched him earlier from the nursery doorway, the way his small fram
“Then we find another way,” she said. “Mortals have ways to—”“No.”His voice was final, sharp as a blade. “We’re not talking about root teas or salves. I know what my body is capable of. I know what I’ll take from you if I lose control.”“You didn’t lose control. Not even once.”He shook his head s
It had been weeks since the birth, yet the mountain still felt like it held its breath—like every stone and shadow remembered the moment blood painted its halls. The air remained thick, not with smoke or heat, but with silence. A silence that pressed down, weighty and expectant, as though waiting fo
"So will I."Rhazien, watching from a short distance, didn’t speak. But he inclined his head once—slight, solemn. A gesture full of unspoken meaning.It was the closest thing to a blessing he’d ever given.And this time, Lioren didn't flinch from it.He straightened his spine.Sera watched him for a
It was quiet in the mountain now.The kind of quiet that came only after bloodshed and birth. A silence so complete it rang with the memory of screaming.Rhazien stood just inside the chamber, watching them. Sera lay curled on her side, arms wrapped protectively around Vaerin’s tiny body. The child
Rhazien collapsed to his knees beside her, body half-shifted, smoke curling from his jaw as the last of his strength drained away. His massive, clawed hand pressed to her chest, trembling, as he felt her heartbeat begin again—faint, but there.Sera lived.And so did the flame they’d created.And fro
He used her. Worshipped her. Broke her apart with teeth and tongue and cock until she was boneless beneath him—until even her screams turned voiceless. And still, he came back for more.She didn’t know how many times he’d taken her. She’d stopped counting after the fourth.Her thighs trembled. Her n
It drove her mad.Time lost meaning. The hours melted into a haze of heat, ache, and delirium. Her mind fractured under the weight of denial, splintering into dark corners where thoughts ceased to make sense. She wasn’t just restless. She was unraveling from the inside out.Her fingers ached from gr







