Eva’s point of view I don’t know who decided to give Trixie creative control over this “small party,” but judging by the disco lights flickering in the throne room and the life-sized cardboard cutout of me holding a sword and a cupcake, we may have slightly overshot small. There’s music echoing off the stone walls, a suspicious chocolate fountain that may or may not be liquor-infused, and someone—probably Marcus—rigged a smoke machine in the corner. The room smells like fire, frosting, and regret. Honestly? I love it. Sonia approaches with a drink in each hand and glitter on her cheek. “One of these is safe,” she says, handing me a glass. “The other will make you question your entire existence.” “Bold of you to assume I haven’t been doing that since I was three,” I reply, downing the safe one. I hope. The whole gang is here—no missions, no disguises, no death. For one night, we’re just people. Laughing, dancing, teasing each other. Pretending there’s no doom countdown ticking a
Eva’s point of view The past two weeks passed in a blur. Between decoding ancient crap, sneaking around castles at night, pretending I sleep more than three hours, and occasionally cuddling Theo like the emotionally unstable ball of knives that I am, time just slipped through my fingers. Now there are exactly two days until my birthday. And instead of feeling excited, all I feel is pressure. Thick and heavy, like someone dumped a mountain on my shoulders and said, “Good luck.” I sit at the long dining room table, poking at a lukewarm croissant and waiting for the rest of the gang. I summoned them all through the mind link for what I called a little chat. Let’s call it what it is: brunch with a side of emotional damage. The first to arrive are Sonia and Michael, walking in hand-in-hand like the poster children for post-sex bliss. Their faces are glowing. Actually glowing. It’s disgusting. I sip my coffee. “What’s up, lover birds? Somebody had a good night,” I mutter just loud eno
Eva’s Point of View As I step into the dining hall, the smell of toast and strong coffee hits me like a spell I never asked for. The room’s not empty, but not full either. Late breakfast crew. My people. I scan the tables, not really expecting to find anyone from our inner circle. But then I spot him—Elias, sitting alone with a half-eaten plate and his brain clearly off somewhere else. That familiar distant expression, eyes narrowed slightly like he’s solving the world’s worst puzzle in his head. A slow smile creeps onto my face as I head his way. “Morning, Junior,” I say sweetly, knowing exactly how he’ll react. His head jerks up, face scrunching into a frown. “Really, sis? Junior?” I grin and ruffle his hair, because I can. “You are a junior. And my little brother.” “Not that little,” he huffs, puffing his chest like a squirrel trying to scare a wolf. “I’m sixteen. Two years isn’t that big of a difference.” “I know,” I reply, dropping into the chair across from him
Parker’s Point of View Mornings like this are rare. The window’s open just enough to let in a breeze that smells like pine and lavender. Trixie is curled beside me in a tangle of sheets and wild hair, wearing one of my shirts and a smug little smile because she knows it drives me crazy. Her bare legs are tangled with mine. My arm is under her neck. My dignity is probably somewhere under the bed, right next to her socks. I don’t care. Our room is technically hers—because let’s be honest, she took it over the second she moved in—but I never left. Not after the first night. Not after the second. Not ever. We’re on the same floor as Theo, Eva, and Elias. It used to feel intimidating. Now it just feels… like home. Trixie yawns, stretching like a cat and punching me in the ribs in the process. “Ow.” She snickers without opening her eyes. “That’s what you get for stealing the covers.” “I am the covers.” “You’re warm and annoying,” she mutters, burying her face in my neck. “Like a
Sonia’s Point of View I’ve just successfully stuffed a marshmallow into Michael’s mouth while he wasn’t paying attention—again—and it’s honestly starting to feel like a personal talent. The look of betrayal on his face is priceless. “You absolute menace,” he mumbles around the marshmallow, chewing reluctantly. I flash him my best innocent smile, which probably looks more like a gremlin grin. “You looked too serious. Thought you needed sweetening.” We’re in the living room of one of the guest houses near the castle—the cozy one with the fluffy rug I claimed as my territory the second we walked in. He’s sprawled out on the floor like a dramatic movie heroine waiting for someone to rescue him, while I’m perched on the arm of the couch, flipping a pillow in my hands like it’s a weapon. “You know,” Michael says between chews, “most people flirt with compliments. You flirt with food-based assault.” “And yet,” I say, raising a brow, “you’re still here.” “Unfortunately,” he deadpans.
Theo’s Point of View Two weeks. That’s all I have until Eva’s birthday. Two weeks until the prophecy is supposed to start unraveling like a cursed sweater knitted by Fate herself. Two weeks until all hell might break loose. And what am I doing? Pacing back and forth like a lunatic in my office, wearing a hole in the rug and stressing over two equally terrifying things: 1. The end of the world as we know it. 2. What the hell to buy my mate for her birthday. And not just any birthday. Her eighteenth. The first birthday she gets to celebrate without blood on her hands, without chains on her ankles, without someone else telling her who the hell she’s supposed to be. No pressure. I run a hand through my hair, frustrated. “Aries? You there, buddy? I could really use a pep talk right now.” There’s a pause, then I feel a sleepy stretch in the back of my head. The way he moves reminds me of a cat waking up in the sun—leisurely, smug, completely unbothered by the fact that I’m spira