DamonThe ballroom shimmered with gold and candlelight; every surface polished to gleam and reflect power. Crystal chandeliers swayed faintly with the movement of the crowd, their light bending off silk coats and jewel-studded collars.I hated these events.I stood near the dais, half-listening to a
DamonThe frost on my window caught the morning light, spidering silver veins across the glass. I stood motionless in front of it, hands clasped tight behind my back, watching the courtyard below like a man waiting for battle—or for something worse.My gaze locked onto her before I even knew I was l
DamonThe clearing was already alive by the time I arrived—drums low and steady, a heartbeat in the dark. The full moon loomed high above it all, massive and pale, soaking the forest in silver.Tradition.I’d hated this place for years. At thirteen, Asher’s father had made me spar with some minor no
LilaThe air smelled like pine needles and smoke.The ceremonial clearing at the edge of the royal forest pulsed with sound and shadow—soft drums in the distance, voices murmuring low, the occasional sharp crack of a torch being lit.Lanterns hung from curved iron hooks planted in the earth, casting
I rose from bed slowly, careful not to move too fast. My skin felt too tight, like my body was trying to expand beneath it.Every joint protested as I stretched, the movement not painful, but wrong. Off. Like something inside me was shifting without permission.The dream still clung to me. Snow and
LilaSnow clung to the edge of my breath.The world around me was hushed, buried beneath a blanket of white that glittered under the sharp light of stars. Each flake was perfect. Every tree was bare and watching.And I stood barefoot at the edge of a forest I didn’t recognize, the snow cold against