All Chapters of Incubus Reborn: Sleepless promise: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The wall curved ahead of them, stone slick with damp and broken in places where roots had pushed through centuries ago. Their boots slapped against the surface in uneven rhythm, the sound carrying too clearly into the open dark around them. No one spoke at first. They all knew the silence was thinner now, alive with something moving just out of sight.Lucian kept his blade raised, even though his arm ached from the last fight. He wanted the weight in his hand, the reminder that he could still cut, still defend. Every time he blinked he saw the thing’s face again, if it could be called a face, and the memory of its soundless scream lingered in his bones.Astra broke the silence. “It is not gone.”“No,” Cael said, his voice flat. “It is not.”Riven spat over the edge. The spittle was whipped away into blackness before it could fall far. “Then it is waiting. Watching. Maybe learning.”Seris glanced at him. “Learning what?”“How to kill us better next time,” he said.Mara stumbled but cau

The torches along the corridor burned low, their flames dancing in uneven shadows across the stone walls. The palace felt heavier after the last council meeting, as though the weight of a thousand whispered suspicions clung to its air. Lucian walked beside Saraphina, his steps silent but sharp, his shoulders tense from Astra’s subtle barbs during the gathering. Saraphina matched his pace, her eyes fixed ahead, yet she felt his distance like a blade pressed against her ribs.He had barely looked at her through the meeting, his attention instead locked on Astra’s every word, every suggestion, every calculation. It had been necessary, she reminded herself. Astra was their strategist, the sharp mind that could carve paths through traps and ambushes. Still, Saraphina hated the way Astra’s voice had curled around Lucian’s focus like smoke choking a flame.Lucian broke the silence first. “You were quiet in there.”“I didn’t need to speak,” Saraphina replied softly. “Everything important was

The morning after felt different. The air pressed heavier, as though the world itself was waiting for something to break. Saraphina opened her eyes to the pale light filtering into their chamber, her body strangely alert though she had barely slept. Every sound was sharper. The rustle of the curtains, the distant footsteps in the hall, even the slow rhythm of Lucian’s breathing beside her—all of it vibrated with a clarity that unsettled her.She slipped from the bed quietly. The book remained hidden under the chest at the foot of the bed, wrapped in dark cloth. Yet even concealed, she could feel it humming, as if it were part of her now.Lucian stirred. “Leaving so early?”Saraphina froze, her back to him. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought a walk might help.”His voice was still heavy with sleep. “Be careful. The halls are not as empty as they seem.”“I will,” she promised, though her own words sounded distant to her ears.⸻In the corridor, servants passed her, bowing quickly before scurr

By morning, the fortress was a hive of murmurs. Servants avoided Saraphina’s eyes as she passed, bowing quickly and stepping aside. Soldiers saluted Lucian, but their glances slid to her with unease, like men staring at fire unsure whether it would warm them or burn them alive.The council’s meeting from yesterday had spread like wildfire. Even without names, the story carried: the lady silenced the entire room with a thought. The shadows bent toward her feet. And Astra’s carefully sharpened insinuations whispered with it, infecting every retelling.Saraphina walked with her shoulders squared, her chin lifted, but inside her stomach churned. Every glance weighed heavy, every silence screamed accusation.Lucian felt it too. His hand brushed hers as they moved down the corridor, a silent tether, as though afraid she might shatter if left alone. He did not speak until they reached the safety of his chambers. Once the door closed, he finally turned to her.“They are afraid,” he said.Her

The fortress gates creaked open as the battered company rode in, their armor dented, their faces smeared with blood and soot. The courtyard was already crowded with those who had stayed behind: servants, healers, and curious eyes eager to learn what had become of the soldiers sent to face the raiders.Saraphina rode beside Lucian, her cloak heavy with dried blood, her grip tight around the reins. She could feel the weight of every gaze as they entered, whispers breaking out among the crowd.“There she is… the shadow-born one.”“I heard she strangled a man with darkness itself.”“No wonder the raiders fled. Who would stand against that?”Their words cut sharper than any blade. She kept her chin high, but her stomach churned. Each murmur pressed her deeper into the truth she feared: her secret was no longer a secret at all.Kael dismounted first, barking orders to have the wounded carried to the infirmary. Lucian slid from his horse and reached for her hand. She hesitated only a heartbe