Amber had brought our tiaras shortly after I had finished getting dressed. The golden snake at my back was cool against my skin, but was welcomed all the same. It was a reminder of our first little spat as a couple. A truly mated couple, that is. We would need small reminders, like such, to keep us intact with where it all began. Three people with a shared vision for the future. As well as a prophecy who lead us all together. Sure, the waters were more turbulent than we had first anticipated, but that didn't mean we wouldn't try and ease the journey. Hell, Andrew was still locked in a cell beneath our very feet. War was knocking on our doors. And a clan of blood thirsty vampires now sat at our table. All of it was enough to set my nerves aflame. Embers crackling beneath my too calm surface. I could feel my anger rear and crash, but tried to steady it. This wasn't the time. We would figure everything out as it happened. First came those bloody royals awaiting our entrance.

The nausea wouldn't subside. It barely wavered as I walked down the halls of our home. Lillian had ushered me to my room. Somehow she knew what was going on with me. Knew that something was amiss. I chalked it up to an old woman who had seen a few things in her many years on this earth. Lillian's senses were much more acute than my own. Plus, a stressful week and a few spats made my senses all but numb. Byron had warranted that little accident, but I still hated myself for it. What must the other royals think of me now? Think of Julian? They would blame him for bringing in an untamed dog into their society. I still hated how he had spoken about Julian. A boy in age, compared to them, but still their king. Tolerating such clear sign of disrespect was out of the question. I had known such mockery my entire life, and I never wanted to let Julian experience it as well. Thinking back to his moods, maybe he had experienced it before. He had felt uncomfortable yesterday as the royals came

Mikaela's Point of ViewLuciana's outburst had left everyone in shock around the table. No one had expected her to react in such a way. Feral and irrational. But I had known something would happen eventually. Byron still had his throat intact, meaning Luciana had used restraint. More restraint than she had ever showed before. Maids would have to take away the broken chair eventually. If only I hadn't sat so far from her. Hadn't been involved with my conversation to the point of becoming deaf to everything else.Nevertheless, Selena was a pleasant woman. Up beat and optimistic. She wouldn't stop gushing about how thrilled she was that Julian had found Luciana and I. They seemed close, but that wasn't why she was so thrilled. Selena was an avid believer in the prophecy. In changing the world. Her father, Arjun, had called her the new generation, even when she was further away from me in age than even Julian. Selena was part of

Dreams of fire and chaos curled and shuddered in front of my eyes. People were screaming, fleeing some unseen monsters. Bullets peppered the sky, raining down upon me like a freshly gathered storm. This was what hell looked like and I knew it. Wolves hunted scared women, ripping out their throats when they finally caught up to them. My own personal hell, formed especially for me. Julian wasn't far off from the carnage, his eyes blank as he stared at a dead Mikaela. Her head was at an odd angle, glass shards sticking from her thin body. Tears of blood streaked his handsome face, painting him every bit of the monster my people so vigorously feared. When I approached, he turned his head to me. There was no love present. No form of tenderness and hope that had grown there over the last few months. Only hatred and anguish curled within his mind. A worm wiggled its way from his ear and fell on his shoulder. If Julian knew it was there, he didn't say a w

Julian's Point of View Our safe house was all the way across the country in a remote location. No one had occupied the estate since before my parents had lived. But they had kept it up to date, just in case something ever did go wrong. Arjun had landed the helicopter once to refuel and to try and contact Amelia. We couldn't get hold of Selena's body and it drove Arjun mad. He had been silent for most of the flight and I understood his grief. Luciana wasn't lost physically but she was lost to us. In the hands of her father, if Amelia's brief message was any indication. A quiet sort of storm settled amongst us. Mikaela hadn't spoken to me since Amelia had informed us of what had happened to Luciana. I knew she blamed me and hell I blamed myself as well. But I hadn't anticipated for them to take her. Had thought Amber and Sebastian had gotten to her first. Regret chewed on my insides until all I could feel was shame. Heat slammed into us as the helicopt