جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 89

LUCIEN'S POV We led Iliana to the sealed chamber beneath the east wing, a room I hadn't used since my coronation, stone walls thick enough to contain whatever magic was about to move through them."Before we begin," she said, turning to face all of us, "you should understand what's about to happen. This process will be gruesome. Painful, both for her and likely for anyone standing close enough to witness it. Anyone who cannot bear to watch should leave now.""I'm out." Kaelen said it immediately, already backing toward the door. "Sorry. Not built for this kind of thing, I cannot stand and watch my best friend go through this.""I need to stay," Seraphine said. "I'm the closest thing to a healer she has in this room."Terak crossed his arms and said nothing, showing clearly that he wasn't going anywhere."I'm not going anywhere," I said.Iliana studied me a moment, then nodded once, like she'd expected that answer and had no intention of arguing it. "Very well. Bring her to the center

AYLIN'S POV "What could you possibly mean?" Lucien's brow furrowed, his hand still wrapped around mine."The vampires." I made myself say it plainly, even though the words felt heavier out loud than they had inside my own head. "They're coming. They want blood, violence, something I don't fully understand yet. But it's them behind everything. The harvesting, the attacks. All of it.""How do you know all this?" Terak asked, his arms crossed, skepticism written plainly across his face."I was in a coma." I met his gaze. "I had a conversation with the Moon Goddess herself.""No shit." Kaelen's eyes went wide. "You actually spoke to her? The real Moon Goddess?""Yes."Seraphine's elbow found his ribs before he could say anything else."Ow. What?""She's the Moon Goddess Incarnate," Seraphine said, exasperated. "Of course she spoke with her. Literally her namesake."Kaelen rubbed his side, muttering something under his breath I chose not to catch.Seraphine's expression shifted, curiosity

AYLIN'S POV Lucien's hand stayed wrapped around mine as we walked down toward the training grounds, morning light cutting long shadows across the courtyard. The moment we stepped into view, every head turned toward us at once.I felt my face heat, certain it was the hand-holding drawing the attention."Why is everyone staring?" I murmured, mostly to myself.Lucien only smirked before crossing the yard, leaving me standing there with the full weight of dozens of eyes still fixed on me.The staring didn't stop even after Lucien left to meet Terak near the sparring ring. Guards. Servants. Werewolves I'd never even met before, all of them watching me with an expression I couldn't quite name.Seraphine reached me first, pulling me into a hug so tight it nearly knocked the breath out of me. "I'm so happy for you.""Uh. Why?"She pulled back, grinning. "I can smell Lucien all over you."My stomach dropped. "Seraphine!""What? I'm just stating facts." She tilted her head, entirely too please

LUCIEN'S POVHer breathing slowed gradually beneath my hand, the panic draining out of her by degrees until her eyes finally drifted shut again.I stayed exactly where I was, watching the rise and fall of her chest, cataloguing every small twitch of her fingers against the sheets like it might warn me of another nightmare before it fully took hold. When her breathing settled into something even and deep, I allowed myself to exhale.He threatened her. Tairn's voice simmered low, a growl that hadn't fully faded since she'd spoken those words.I know.And he threatened this kingdom.I know that too.I brushed a strand of hair away from her face, memorizing the shape of her features in the dim candlelight, the same way I had every night since nearly losing her. Whatever waited beyond these walls, whoever this creature was who'd found his way into her dreams, he'd made one mistake already. He'd shown himself, however briefly, however deliberately.That gave me something to work with.I pre