Chapter 12: The Horizon of Ash

​The morning sun hit the Mediterranean waves with a blinding, diamond-like glare, but the warmth did little to settle the restlessness in my bones. I stood on the bridge of the yacht, watching Malakai navigate the vessel with a practiced, lethal grace. He had traded his combat gear for a crisp linen shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal the ink that marked him as a man of the shadows.

​"Where are we?" I asked, my voice still raspy from the night before. I felt different—sharper, as if the girl who used to flinch at her mother’s shadow had finally been buried at sea.

​"A sanctuary," Malakai replied, his eyes never leaving the radar screen. "An island off the coast of Sicily that doesn't exist on any commercial map. It’s owned by a man who owes me his life twice over. We’ll be safe there while I coordinate our next move against the Council."

​I walked over to him, the soft silk of my new robe—something he’d kept stashed in the cabin for a day that might never come—brushing against my ankles. "And Betty? She won’t stop looking for her 'investment.' She’s like a parasite; she won't let go until the host is dead."

​Malakai’s jaw tightened, a muscle leaping in his cheek. The mention of my mother always brought out that primal, protective instinct in him. "Your mother is a relic of a dying world, Leona. She made the mistake of thinking she could auction off my soul. Now, she has to live with the consequences of an empty bank account and a list of enemies longer than her pedigree."

​He pulled a small, silver-plated handgun from the console and handed it to me. It felt heavy—heavy with the weight of a choice I hadn't yet made.

​"If we’re going to do this," he said, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly hum, "you need to be more than a passenger. You need to be a partner. In this life, the only thing more dangerous than a man with an obsession is the woman he’d burn the world for."

​I looked at the weapon, then at the man who had stolen me, saved me, and remade me. The "forbidden" nature of our bond didn't feel like a weight anymore; it felt like a weapon of its own.

​"Teach me," I said, my gaze locking onto his. "I don't want to just survive the bloodbath, Malakai. I want to be the one who ends it."

​A slow, predatory smile ghosted across his lips—the first sign of genuine pride I had seen in his eyes. He reached out, his hand covering mine over the grip of the gun, his heat grounding me.

​"That’s my Queen," he murmured. "Target practice starts when we hit the sand. Welcome to the family business."

​As the silhouette of a jagged, rocky island rose from the turquoise water, I knew there was no going back to being a Princess. The girl in the red dress was gone. In her place was something far more formidable, standing beside a monster who would walk through fire just to see her smile.