I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “You’re manipulating the trials. The council.”Asher tilted his head. “Big accusation.”“You said it yourself.”“I said nothing that would hold in a courtroom,” he replied, stepping closer. “But you… Lila… you’ve got secrets of your own, don’t you?”My heart stu
LilaI had never paced so much in my life.Back and forth across my room, the same stretch of carpet worn slightly thinner with each pass. The window was open, letting in the cool afternoon breeze, but it didn’t help. My skin still burned, nerves riding just beneath the surface.The letter for Damon
LilaThe knock came before sunrise. Three soft raps. The last ringing with a finality that made my stomach lurch.I sat up too quickly, heart already pounding. The room was still dark, the sky outside my window just beginning to pale at the edges. I’d barely slept, still dressed in the gown from the
LilaThe ride was long. Silent.No one had spoken to me since the palace gates disappeared behind the curve of the hill. The driver avoided my eyes, didn’t respond to my questions. When I asked for the name of the territory, he muttered something about “temporary reassignment” and tightened his fist
LilaI stopped counting after three days.It wasn’t intentional. Just a slow erosion. The lines I’d scratched into the edge of the hearth blurred, smeared by soot, damp sleeves, and the weight of not caring enough to redraw them.My internal clock had dissolved into fragments: sunrises, fire cycles,
DamonI woke with a sound I didn’t recognize as my own.A sharp gasp—no, a choke—ripped from my throat as I sat up violently, sheets twisted around my legs, breath coming in shallow, desperate pulls. My skin was slick with sweat, chest heaving like I’d run miles.The fire in the hearth had gone out.
DamonThe wind cut like blades as I flew through the territories.Frost bit at my skin, teeth sinking into the exposed lines of my shoulders and chest, but I didn’t feel it. Not through the pulse in my blood, the fire in my chest, the bond that burned with every beat of my heart.She was close.The
DamonWe made it through the gates just before dawn.My mate was cradled in my arms, limp and far too still, her blood already dried in jagged trails across my chest. The palace guards opened the gates in silence, eyes wide, faces pale. They’d never seen me like this.They’d never seen what I looked
LilaI woke to the sound of my own breathing. Shallow. Steady. Alive.The air smelled like rosemary and smoke, the faint tang of antiseptic salve lingering just beneath it. My body was a patchwork of ache and numbness, like someone had stitched me back together with cold thread and firelight.I didn
DamonWe made it through the gates just before dawn.My mate was cradled in my arms, limp and far too still, her blood already dried in jagged trails across my chest. The palace guards opened the gates in silence, eyes wide, faces pale. They’d never seen me like this.They’d never seen what I looked
DamonThe wind cut like blades as I flew through the territories.Frost bit at my skin, teeth sinking into the exposed lines of my shoulders and chest, but I didn’t feel it. Not through the pulse in my blood, the fire in my chest, the bond that burned with every beat of my heart.She was close.The
DamonI woke with a sound I didn’t recognize as my own.A sharp gasp—no, a choke—ripped from my throat as I sat up violently, sheets twisted around my legs, breath coming in shallow, desperate pulls. My skin was slick with sweat, chest heaving like I’d run miles.The fire in the hearth had gone out.
LilaI stopped counting after three days.It wasn’t intentional. Just a slow erosion. The lines I’d scratched into the edge of the hearth blurred, smeared by soot, damp sleeves, and the weight of not caring enough to redraw them.My internal clock had dissolved into fragments: sunrises, fire cycles,
LilaThe ride was long. Silent.No one had spoken to me since the palace gates disappeared behind the curve of the hill. The driver avoided my eyes, didn’t respond to my questions. When I asked for the name of the territory, he muttered something about “temporary reassignment” and tightened his fist
LilaThe knock came before sunrise. Three soft raps. The last ringing with a finality that made my stomach lurch.I sat up too quickly, heart already pounding. The room was still dark, the sky outside my window just beginning to pale at the edges. I’d barely slept, still dressed in the gown from the
LilaI had never paced so much in my life.Back and forth across my room, the same stretch of carpet worn slightly thinner with each pass. The window was open, letting in the cool afternoon breeze, but it didn’t help. My skin still burned, nerves riding just beneath the surface.The letter for Damon
I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “You’re manipulating the trials. The council.”Asher tilted his head. “Big accusation.”“You said it yourself.”“I said nothing that would hold in a courtroom,” he replied, stepping closer. “But you… Lila… you’ve got secrets of your own, don’t you?”My heart stu