ATHENA Claire and I halted mid step, the sudden presence before us freezing the air around me. My chest tightened, my breath catching somewhere in the back of my throat. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, but my legs refused to obey. We both turned slowly, and my wide eyes locked onto the man standing in front of us. He looked like the king, yet every detail was different. Darker eyes. An aura of danger that seemed to bend the light around him. My stomach twisted. A shiver ran down my spine. Claire cleared her throat, her voice carefully balanced between formality and caution. “This is Athena, sir archer.” His gaze fell fully on me, and he stepped closer, each movement deliberate, as if he owned the space around me. My pulse quickened. I felt his eyes on me, burning, almost intimate. “Look at me, female,” he said, his voice husky and low, sending vibrations through my chest. Panic rose sharp inside me. I lifted my gaze with trembling eyes, feeling exposed in a way t
Last Updated : 2026-01-04 Read more