All Chapters of Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The storm had passed, but its memory lingered—etched into the churned mud, the torn-up yard, and the hearts of those standing amid the wreckage.No monsters remained. No sounds but the quiet drip of rainwater and the occasional crack of a broken branch settling under its own weight.Adonis stood in the yard, golden aura faint now but steady, like a hearth fire refusing to burn out. His golden eyes swept the field with grim satisfaction. For the first time in too long, the swamp was still.“Is it over?” Jonah asked, his voice hoarse. His fingers were wrapped around the handle of his axe, mud streaking his youthful face.“It’s over,” Lucien said firmly. Crimson energy still smoldered faintly in his hands as he moved to stand beside his father. For a long moment, they didn’t speak—just looked out over the battlefield that had almost cost them everything.Then Adonis broke the silence. “You did good, Lucien.”Lucien turned, startled. Adonis’s expression was open in a way his son had never

The Valentine plantation was alive with an energy Junie hadn’t felt since the night they all celebrated surviving the progenitor’s attack. But this time, it wasn’t survival that filled the halls, it was anticipation.It had been a quiet few months since the battle, and the house had settled into something like a rhythm. Rebels still came and went, missions were still planned, and night patrols kept the swamp safe, but within the walls of the plantation, the family had found moments of peace.Junie stood barefoot in the sitting room, her eyes sweeping over the vast space that would soon host her wedding. Her wedding. The words felt unreal, like she was borrowing someone else’s fairytale.Rio’s hands slid around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. “You’re doing that thing again.”“What thing?” she murmured, leaning back into his warmth.“Thinking too hard about how you don’t deserve this.” His voice was low but teasing. “You do, Junie. We do.”She let out a quiet l

The Valentine plantation had never been so alive. Lanterns strung from the massive oaks swayed in the warm night breeze, their golden glow spilling across the veranda and gardens like captured starlight. Music carried from the open windows, lively and full of laughter. It wasn’t just a wedding it was a victory. A celebration of love carved from the ashes of a world that had tried to take everything from them. Inside the grand hall, Junie stood in front of an old gilded mirror, her breath catching. Willa’s careful hands weaved the final flowers into her hair, blossoms of deep crimson and soft ivory nestled among thick golden-red waves that tumbled down her back. A loose braid trailed from the crown of her head, tendrils curling free to frame her freckled face. She looked ethereal, otherworldly. “You look like the forest came alive just to watch you walk down that aisle,” Willa murmured, her emerald glow faint but warm. Junie laughed softly, trying not to cry. “I feel… not like my

The figure stepped fully into the lantern light, his shadow stretching long over the damp earth.Tall. Lean. Every movement deliberate, as though the night bent around him.His coat was travel-worn, the black leather dulled and creased from years on the road. A single tear ran along the left sleeve, revealing the faintest glimpse of scarred skin beneath. His boots were caked with river silt, leaving muddy impressions that broke the otherwise pristine walkway leading up to the Valentine estate.Rio’s shoulders stiffened before his mind even caught up to what his eyes were seeing.He knew that walk.He knew that face.Jules.The name rang in his head like the toll of a warning bell. His voice stayed locked behind clenched teeth, but his heart had already shifted into that slow, steady rhythm he reserved for moments before a fight.“Looks like this isn’t over,” Jules said, voice carrying low but certain. It wasn’t a threat shouted across a battlefield. It was something colder. Something sp

Rio’s golden eyes blazed as he pushed Sophie behind him, sword flashing in the dim light. Junie spun, blade singing through the heavy air, meeting the first attacker with fierce precision.Jules moved with lethal grace, every strike calculated, while Odessa’s movements were a blur—dark and unforgiving.The attackers were more numerous than expected, emerging like wraiths from the swamp’s depths. Steel clanged, and snarls tore through the humid air.Behind them, distant shouts echoed—the Council’s reinforcements alerted, moving fast through the swamp.Suddenly, a cold, ethereal light cut through the chaos.The Pale Queen stepped forward from the shadows, her alabaster skin glowing faintly beneath the moss-draped trees. Her eyes, pale and unreadable, locked onto Sophie.Odessa’s voice dropped to a whisper, sharp as a blade. “She marked Sophie. Breaking that bond means killing her.”Junie’s breath caught, muscles tensing.The Pale Queen raised a slender hand, and the air thickened with a