"Nala!" A roaring, hoarse voice stabbed me with its power. The voice belonged to a man—a man I knew. Other sounds followed, but they were too distorted. A wheeze, a rasp, and then a loud wailing sound. They assaulted my ears when all I wanted was to sleep. I felt too tired. Unable to open my eyes and immobilized by the pain, I shut down the noises in my head. I wanted to drift into nothing."You need to drink!" The thundering sound jerked my entire body. I didn't like that order, but someone parted my lips, and then I felt thick, oddly sweet drops falling down my throat. A weak moan left me as the liquid heated my insides. More of it fell down my throat, and the fever spread to my limbs. "That's it, drink, Nala." The voice became softer, coaxing. "You will live," the voice told me. "I will not let you die."I might have smiled upon hearing those words. I swallowed another portion of sweet and thick liquid. It tasted smoky, decadent… It tasted wicked, but it also tasted like life. I dr

It took me an hour to calm my heart and convince myself that my dream had nothing to do with reality or the way I felt. Nonetheless, I was afraid to even close my eyes for the rest of the night. I had no idea how I could ever face Calvel again after that dream. His voice and his scent were the same as in reality, but they affected me in a way I would never, in a million years, expect them to.I ended up taking a nice, hour-long, cold shower, trying to scrub off the feeling of wanting Calvel's cock inside me. Not to mention that I was overwhelmed by this ridiculous belief that I had cheated on Ash. God! Everything about that dream freaked me out, and I was desperate to talk with someone about it. I needed to hear that I hadn't gone mad and that this—whatever it was—would quickly pass.I exited the bathroom, still restless and fidgety. The maid brought me breakfast, and I sat by the table, stuffing the food in my mouth while thinking about how I could erase that dream from my memory."H

Three hours later, I was holding a dagger in my hand and staring at the cell in front of me. Charon was inside. His hands and feet were chained to the wall. The wide, thick cuffs tightly encircled his wrists and ankles. The elegant jacket he had in the woods was gone, and only a half-ripped black shirt embraced his chest. Calvel huffed a chuckle as he walked into the cell to tie a strap with a gag around Charon's mouth. "I don't want his teeth anywhere near you," he explained, and I was thankful for it.The dagger I held was made of steel and silver. My fingers carefully wrapped around the leather hilt as I tried to steady my breath. I knew that Charon's eyes were on me even when mine drifted elsewhere. I could sense his mockery. He surely thought that I would panic and run before I used the blade. He wasn't entirely wrong. The nauseating feeling came and went every two minutes as I stood before the man who nearly ended my life. But I told myself that this wasn't only about me. He did

The mountains rose in the view, emerging from the carpet of colorful leaves. The road snaked up as we got closer to the estate. Suddenly, the woods became scattered, and my eyes were drawn to the huge rock on the side of the road. "Wait in the car," Ash said as he pulled over, stopping the car in front of the stone. I noticed him take a signet ring from his jacket pocket and put it on the little finger of his left hand. The ring looked like it was made entirely of a smooth black stone. "What is it?" I asked, pointing at the signet. Ash smirked, bringing his hand with the ring closer toward me. "This is the proof that these lands belong to me. This is the Malachious Ring." I smiled nervously. "This might be a stupid question, but what do you need it for?" "You'll see." Ash winked at me and got out of the car. He stepped toward the rock. He fisted his hand and pressed the ring's smooth surface against the large stone. As soon as he did, the stone resonated, sending a wave of vibrat

"Wine or whiskey?" Ash offered the right cure for my heart-crushing anxiety."Wine," I replied, folding my arms around my waist and sitting on the salon's sofa.He swiftly uncorked an old-looking bottle and filled my glass with a rich red liquid. He handed me the wine, then quickly refilled his whiskey glass, and joined me on the sofa. "How's your hand?" He looked at the cut, which was now almost completely healed."It's fine," I repeated for the fifth time, and each time, I found Ash's concern more annoying. "Baltazar called me a cursed child," I told Ash, carefully watching his reaction to my words. "Do you know what that means? Because as soon as he smelled my blood, he started looking at me as if I was about to turn into a monster." Frustration grew within me. I knew what I saw in Baltazar's eyes: disgust and a heated rush of hatred. It no longer mattered who I was. WHAT I was overshadowed everything else.Ash sighed and took a sip from his glass. "Baltazar is a good man, but he i