INICIAR SESIÓNAMARA'S POVI woke before the carriage reached the palace grounds.For a brief, disorienting moment, I forgot where I was. My head was resting against something warm, solid, and steady.Then I realized it was Adrian's shoulder.I immediately sat bolt upright, pulling back as heat rushed to my face.Adrian looked down at me with a soft, amused smile, shifting his arm slightly. "Good morning."I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the sleep from my vision. "How long was I asleep?""Long enough."My eyes widened. "You should have woken me up, Adrian.""You looked comfortable," he said simply, his voice low. "I saw no reason to disturb you."I turned my face toward the window, looking out at the passing trees. "Thank you for yesterday.""For the pastries?""For everything."His smile softened. "You're always welcome, Amara."The carriage came to a smooth stop outside the main entrance. I stepped out first, eager to put a little physical distance between us.Not because I disli
AMARA'S POVFor the first time in days, I woke up without a mystery waiting for me.No strange messages pinned to gates. No ancient, unreadable symbols etched onto feathers. No unsettling questions about my father’s past, and no one stepping into my room to break the news that another hidden piece of my history had been dragged into the light.Just warm, clear sunlight spilling lazily across my bedchambers.I smiled to myself, pulling the blankets back.Maybe I truly deserved one entirely ordinary day.I dressed in a soft, fluid cream-colored dress and stepped out of my room. The moment I turned into the main corridor, the faint, bright sound of lighthearted laughter echoed up from the stone courtyard below.Curiosity winning, I followed the sound down the spiral staircase and stepped into the sunlight.Then I stopped dead in my tracks.Adrian was there. He was leaning casually against one of the grand marble pillars, chatting easily with Lucian.He looked annoyingly comfor
AMARA'S POVThe candles were still out.Nobody moved in the heavy, shadowy silence of the room.My mother's words kept echoing inside my head, loud and agonizing: Your father didn't disappear. He was taken.I stared at her through the dark, trying to read her expression. "By whom?"She didn't answer right away."Mother."Her eyes lowered, unable to hold mine. "I don't know."I felt something inside my chest sink completely. "You don't know?""I knew who wanted him," she whispered."Who?"She looked toward Lucian. He closed his eyes briefly, letting out a breath."The Order of the Veil," my mother admitted quietly.My heart pounded against my ribs. "The same Order mentioned in the letter?"She nodded."Why would they take him?""Because your father discovered something he was never meant to find.""What did he discover?""I don't know, Amara."I stepped back, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm. "You keep saying you don't know! But everyone seems to know
TANYA'S POVI didn't need Serena to trust me. I only needed her to believe I understood her.That was the crucial difference.Serena arrived after sunset, wrapped in a dark, trailing cloak, her expression impatient and guarded as she stepped into my private chambers."You asked to see me," she said, her tone sharp."I did." I gestured toward the ornate velvet chair opposite my desk.Serena remained standing, her posture rigid. "Why?""Because I've heard whispers about your sudden interest in Prince Adrian Vale."Serena's defensive guard snapped up instantly, her eyes flashing. "Who told you?""No one had to," I replied smoothly, offering a soft smile. "You've been watching him every time he steps into the palace courtyard."Serena's jaw tightened until a small muscle twitched near her cheek. "So?""So nothing." I poured myself a glass of spiced wine, taking a slow sip. "I am simply offering you an opportunity."Serena hesitated for a beat before finally taking a seat. "Wh
AMARA'S POVI didn't sleep much that night.Every time I closed my eyes, Vivian's face appeared in the darkness. Not the faded memory of the woman she had been when I was a child, but the cold, calculating woman she had always been beneath the surface—the woman who had watched me grow up under her roof and somehow managed to make me feel like a complete stranger in my own home.I thought I had escaped her when I left Blackridge. But apparently, some people follow you even after you leave them far behind.I was sitting at the breakfast table in the sunlit dining hall when my mother noticed the dark circles beneath my eyes."You didn't sleep at all, did you?" she asked softly.I looked down at the untouched plate in front of me. "Not really."Lucian immediately set his cup down, his brow furrowing. "Because of the message at the gate?"I gave a single, tight nod.My mother reached across the smooth wood of the table and took my hand, squeezing gently. "Amara, whatever Vivian k
AMARA'S POVI remained beside the quiet lake long after Adrian had disappeared back into the stone corridors of the palace.The strange, sudden warmth in my bracelet had completely faded, but the lingering uneasiness it left behind refused to settle. I lifted my arm, touching the silver crescent carefully with my fingertips.Nothing.No faint glow. No pulse of power. Just cold, unyielding metal resting against my skin."You're still out here thinking about it."I turned. Adrian stood several steps behind me on the gravel path. I hadn't heard his footsteps return over the soft rustle of the leaves."I thought you left," I said, dropping my arm."I did.""Then why are you back?"He slipped his hands into the pockets of his dark coat, his shoulders relaxed. "I forgot something.""What could you possibly have forgotten?"He offered a slow, effortless smile. "You."I stared at him, completely unblinking.He let out a soft laugh. "That was a joke.""That wasn't funny at all.







