Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 90

ANWEN'S POVFor the next several days, I found myself settling into a strange rhythm—one shaped entirely by the three kings hovering over me like anxious shadows.It was all to make sure Fenric hadn't caused any lasting harm during the full moon.No matter how many times I told them I felt perfectly fine, they fussed over every bruise, every wince, every moment I grew too quiet.Brammon brewed remedies, hearty broths, and, of course, his draughts, insisting I drink them even when I protested that I was well.Fenric, meanwhile, seemed determined to make amends in his own way. Every time he returned from the military camp, he brought me rare mountain fruits said to hasten recovery. Then he would sit across from me and watch until I'd eaten every last one.As for Rhydan, his concern was quieter.Winter had settled over Blackreach in earnest, and heavy snow blanketed the fortress day after day. The ancient stone walls held firm against the wind, but the cold still found its way into every

ANWEN'S POVCradling the open book in both arms, I found a quiet corner tucked between two towering shelves.I lowered myself to the floor, leaned back against the bookcase, and rested the ancient volume on my lap.For a long moment, I simply stared at it.Its pages were no longer blank. All because the book had touched my blood.I still couldn't decide whether that should fascinate me... or frighten me.Carefully, I opened the book.It wasn't a story. It was a chronicle.A painstaking record of every Radiant who had descended into the mortal world.The pages revealed neat columns of names, each accompanied by elegant, carefully penned records.One after another, their names filled the pages, each followed by an account of the gift they had brought to humanity.One Radiant had taught humanity to chart the heavens and navigate by the stars.Another had shown them how to build irrigation canals that carried rivers across dry landsOthers were credited with teaching medicine—how to ident

ANWEN'S POVI felt Brammon's hand, shoving my skirt up over my hips, gathering the fabric in rough folds around my waist. Then his fingers hooked into the edge of my undergarment and dragged it down, the air hitting my exposed skin like a slap before he'd even struck me. I shivered, mortified, the chill raising gooseflesh across my bare bottom.Through the tangle of hair half-obscuring my vision, I caught a glimpse of him in my peripheral vision. Brammon was raising his hand, and my breath hitched in frozen terror. It was enormous, that hand, thick and broad and heavy.If I hadn't been panicking, I might have laughed at the absurdity. His palm looked larger than my entire ass, a span of callused flesh and hard bone that promised nothing but pain."No," I shouted, my voice cracking, desperate to stop the inevitable descent of that terrible hand. "Please. I won't do it again. I promise."A sound rumbled from him—not quite laughter, nothing so warm as that. A humorless chuckle, dry and

BRAMMON'S POVI lowered Anwen's hips back to the table and unsealed her. My release spilled out immediately, trickling down her thighs in thick, wasted ribbons.I stared at her for a moment—sprawled there like an offering, her face tear-streaked and discontented, her body still aching with need. Beautiful. Always so fucking beautiful, even when she was miserable.I reached for her. I didn't bother righting her bodice or pulling her sleeves up to cover those ample breasts. She'd lost that privilege. Instead, I hauled her up and over my shoulder, her torso dangling down my back, her warmth pressed against my chest.She didn't resist. Not a single squirm as I carried her. I hiked her skirt up again, exposing her bottom so close to my face I could see every mark I'd left. Raw. Tender. Angry red. My handiwork.I ran my palm across the heated flesh.She hissed, her body jerking against me.I climbed the stairs with her still draped over my shoulder, each step deliberate. When I reached her

ANWEN'S POVMy bottom still throbbed.Brammon's twenty strikes layered beneath Fenric's fresh ones, merging into a relentless, burning ache that made even the smallest movement unbearable. It was too much.Three punishments for a single mistake.And the third still loomed like a storm on the horizon."Please." My voice cracked with desperation. "I've been punished enough."Fenric's thumb drifted up to trace the bridge of my nose. A gesture that should have felt comforting now felt like a second collar tightening around my throat."You went into the forbidden section, Anwen," he said quietly. "And you touched a forbidden book."His hand slid down to cup my jaw, his fingers firm. "If anyone else had caught you," he said, "the punishment would have been far more severe."Something inside me snapped.I slapped his hand away.The crack of skin against skin echoed through the hall, and I was already speaking—reckless, furious—the words tumbling out before fear could silence them."This isn'