Mag-log inAurora’s POVThe nursery felt like it was holding its breath. Even the light seemed different now. Thea sat in his arms, her attention was fixed on Rick. And Rick… Rick was no longer the man who had burst into our castle with intent to take her. He was shaking. Not from fear of us. From something inside him breaking apart.The black tendrils along his arms writhed violently, no longer smooth or controlled. They moved like something panicked—like a living thing realizing it was losing its grip. “No…” he whispered again, but it wasn’t directed at us anymore. It was directed inward. At himself. At whatever was inside him.Hagetha’s influence. Or something worse. Thea reached out again. I felt it the moment she did. The air shifted. Light pulsed from her skin—soft, white, warm—but stronger now than before. Not explosive. Not destructive. Corrective. Like reality itself was trying to realign. Rick flinched. The tendrils recoiled again, faster this time. He gasped sharply, dropping his head
Damon’s POVThe moment I felt it, I knew something inside the castle had changed. Not the battlefield. Not the perimeter. Inside. Max went still. That was worse than his rage. Stillness meant focus. Predator focus. “What is it?” Toney shouted over the chaos. I didn’t answer. Because I couldn’t. My instincts were screaming in a direction that made no sense. The nursery. Aurora. Thea. Rick.A name I hadn’t spoken aloud in weeks suddenly burned through my mind like poison. And then I moved. I didn’t order a retreat. I didn’t strategize. I abandoned the outer wall. Behind me, warriors shouted. Ahead of me, zombies poured through broken gates like a flood of dead things that refused to understand they were already gone. But I didn’t care anymore. Because something far worse than an invasion was happening behind us.Aurora’s POVRick was crying. Not quietly. Not controlled. The kind of crying that breaks something open inside a person that cannot be repaired. He was holding Thea like she wa
Rick’s POVHe stopped remembering days. Time blurred. Sometimes he was awake. Sometimes he wasn’t. Sometimes he was screaming inside his own head but no sound came out. The black tendrils had spread further now. Up his neck. Across his chest. Down his arms. They moved like living ink beneath his skin. Whispering. Always whispering. “You will be strong.” “You will be useful.” “You will be whole.” But he wasn’t whole.Not anymore. Hagetha had shown him the truth. Or part of it. Lucian. A name that tasted like death. A thing buried beneath the world. A thing he was supposed to become. But even through the haze, something else remained. A memory. A baby’s face. Silver eyes. Tiny hands gripping his finger. Thea. That memory hurt more than the tendrils. Because it felt real in a way nothing else did anymore. And that terrified him.-4 Weeks Later-The dead began walking. Not in full. Not yet. But enough. Bodies pulled from old battlefields. From forgotten graves. From cursed soil beneath ab
Author’s POVHagetha was already awake. Of course she was. The ancient witch rarely slept. She stood within her ritual chamber surrounded by flickering black candles. As though she had been expecting him. Which, in truth, she had. The process had begun exactly on schedule. Rick stormed into the room. “What is this?” He thrust his arms forward. The black tendrils twisted beneath his skin. For a brief moment genuine concern appeared on his face. Good. Fear made people easier to manipulate.Hagetha examined his arms. Then laughed softly. “That?” Rick stared. “That?” “Yes.” The witch waved dismissively. “A side effect.” “A side effect of what?” “The power I’m giving you.” His expression shifted. Confusion replacing fear. “The power?” She nodded. “Did you think revenge came without sacrifice?” Rick hesitated. “No.” “Exactly.”The witch began walking slowly around him. “The magic necessary to defeat Damon and Aurora is ancient.” Partly true. “The transformation takes time.” Also true. “The
We went into the bathroom as Damon turned on the water, I got undressed. Slipping into the shower, I sighed as the warm water soothed my sore muscles. Damon stepped in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned back against his chest, closing my eyes and allowing myself a moment to simply be with him, taking comfort in his presence.He moved me slightly and grabbed the shampoo, lathering my hair before washing his own. I laughed softly while rinsing it out. He repeated the process with the conditioner before picking up a loofah and washing my body. His hands moved along my skin in rhythm with the loofah.Slowly, he let his fingertips trail the length of my body. I shuddered beneath his touch, leaning back against him even more. I could feel his hard cock pressed against the small of my back. He reached around me, gently caressing my breasts while nibbling at my shoulder. I shivered, resting my head against his chest. His lips trailed kisses along my neck before capturing m
Author’s POVThe witch studied Rick carefully. She had spent months manipulating him. Months feeding his hatred. Months encouraging his obsession with revenge. Until now it had worked perfectly. But something had changed. The child. That was the problem. Rick had looked into the eyes of his enemy’s daughter. And instead of seeing a weapon… He had seen a baby. Dangerous. Very dangerous. Hatred thrived on distance. On dehumanization. On seeing enemies as monsters. Thea had complicated things. The witch could not allow that. Not now. Not when they were so close. Not when centuries of planning were finally nearing completion. “You are doubting.” Rick’s jaw tightened. “No.” “You are.” The witch stepped closer. “Do not forget what Damon and Aurora took from you.” Anger flickered briefly in his eyes.Good. She needed that anger. Needed that hatred. Needed him exactly where he was. Because Rick served a purpose. Nothing more. Nothing less. A vessel. A sacrifice. A key. The ultimate evil sleep
Damon's POV: I looked at this silver-eyed beauty. My head clouded. I wasn't sure what I must have drunk to make me feel this way. I'd had a single whiskey. It occurred to me, I may have been drugged. My eyes went wide with the realization. Before I could stand up and go speak with my beta abou
We danced together, after refilling my glass. We laughed and jumped to the beat. I could feel wandering eyes on me, so I looked around. I did not see anyone. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. It was not unpleasant but made me hyper-aware of being watched by someone. I glanced aroun
An hour later, I was standing in front of her full-length mirror. I had a short tight fighting black dress that ended mid-thigh, a slit on the side went to my hip. Black heels. My brown hair she had dried and picked out, letting my natural curls come out resting down my back. She did my make-up in
"Well..." She said, "Why can't Thomas help you study? I bet he could help you relax too?" she said with a wink. I rolled my eyes. "He says he is fine waiting until I get into college. He says sex is not the most important thing to him. "He says that, but he's been waiting almost 3 years for you. E







