Lahat ng Kabanata ng Crowned in Fire, Baptized in Blood: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

I slip into the dress and everything else just falls away.It’s soft white with layers of tulle that ripple like water every time I breathe. The bodice is structured, cinching my waist just enough to make me feel like royalty, and the neckline dips low with an added piece of black tulle peeking through like a whisper of rebellion, stretching lightly over my shoulders, giving it that extra witchy edge I crave.Then, the shoes.My wedding splurge. Christian Louboutin Spikaqueen pumps—glass-slipper level drama with an edge. The pointed toes are wrapped in crystal mesh, glittering with every breath of light. The ankle straps are delicate, almost invisible, but shimmer like stars when I move. The signature red soles peek out like a secret only I get to know, and the towering stiletto heels make my legs look deadly in the best way. They’re magic. Sexy, dangerous, glamorous magic.Mum helps me fasten them, whispering “you’re going to make him combust,” and I grin. Mission accepted.My jewell

A sleek black car waited on the tarmac, its windows tinted and engine humming like it had somewhere more important to be. We climbed in with sleepy limbs and puffy eyes, the heat of the Kenyan sun already coating the horizon in a hazy gold glow.Our driver didn’t say much, just nodded politely and pulled away from the airport toward the villa. It wasn’t far—twenty, maybe thirty minutes—but the landscape shifted fast. From wide paved roads into dusty, uneven paths surrounded by cracked buildings and tangled vines. Every now and then I’d catch Caden glancing out the window, quiet and unreadable.The villa was tucked behind heavy gates and lined with hibiscus bushes that bloomed like they had something to prove. When we pulled up, I stepped out into the warmth, stretching and soaking in the scent of blooming flowers mixed with heat-soaked earth. The place was peaceful. Walled, safe, and modest—but gorgeous. It reminded me of Mum and Dad. Practical. Purposeful. Quietly stunning.“I can se

When we get into the car, the door barely clicks shut before Caden grabs me—pulling me onto his lap like he needs me to breathe. But then he flinches, like the contact stings, and without a word, he tugs my top off in one rough, shaky motion. The back of the car is completely private, the driver sealed off behind tinted glass, but even with that, my breath catches.“Caden—what are you doing?” I whisper-shout, shocked, heart pounding.His only answer is a low, guttural sound before he buries his face in my neck, trailing urgent kisses down until he finds my nipple and captures it in his mouth. His tongue swirls, suckling hard, like he’s desperate to anchor himself in me—to remind himself what’s real.I moan, unable to help it, my fingers burying themselves in his thick hair as he growls into my skin.“I don’t like it when you don’t smell like you,” he mutters against my chest, voice hoarse, barely making sense.Then he latches onto me again like he needs my taste to survive. One of his

“We need to get up and train, my love.”I groan loudly, burying my face into the crook of his neck. Absolutely not.He chuckles, clearly not taking me seriously—until he starts tickling me, fingers dancing down my sides until I yelp and wriggle.“Caden!” I snap, smacking his arm. He just grins.“But we’re on holidays,” I whine dramatically, straddling him in bed and pouting like a child. “Can we not just wait a few days?”“Nope,” he says with zero remorse. “We need to stay sharp. Come on, it’ll be fun.”I huff, giving him the most petulant look I can manage. Then, deliberately, I grind against him—slow and purposeful.His breath catches.“Are you sure,” I purr, “that we can’t just stay here… and have some more fun?”I roll my hips again, and the hardness between my thighs responds immediately. His eyes flutter closed and he gasps—low and guttural—as I move on him. He’s already inside me from our earlier antics, and the sensation of him thickening within me sends a ripple of heat throu

We didn’t even wait to get inside the house.Caden paced the gravel driveway as I leaned against the car, the door still open, both of us staring blankly at the dark horizon like it might give us answers. My phone was already ringing, and my thumb trembled slightly as I held it to my ear.Mum answered on the second ring.“Baylee?” Her voice was warm, steady. Calming. “Everything okay?”The second I heard her, the breath caught in my throat.“No,” I said, my voice cracking. “Not really.”I told her everything—about the bedroom, the mould, the shattered window, the kids’ clothes, the way Megan had clung to me like I was the first safe thing she’d ever touched. I tried to keep it even, but it spilled out in a wave of disbelief and quiet heartbreak. Caden leaned against the roof of the car, rubbing his temple with his thumb, his other hand clenched in a fist at his side.He took over when my voice broke.“I don't think they are being abused, physically.” he clarified tightly, “but it’s n