Brokedown Palace Book Novels & Stories

his smile softened. “I simply never imagined fate would bring you back as Helena.” His eyes held so much tenderness as he looked at me. my heart trembled. He was going to break my walls if I wasn’t careful. I couldn’t fall for him; I knew what the palace was like. It was fancy on the outside but it swallowed people whole and spits only bones out. if it wished to. if not, not even a bone can be found.

Later, Adrian demanded that House Seraphiel divide its holdings. “There are too many of us under one roof,” he said. “Grandfather is gone. We may as well go our separate ways.” Cassian followed Lord Alaric's will and divided the property fairly. Once Adrian had his share, he threw himself into ruin. By day, he poured money into reckless ventures he did not understand. By night, he drowned himself in wine, courtesans, gambling halls, and every glittering pleasure the lower sky offered. He had no eye for investment and no patience for people. Soon, most of his fortune was gone.

I had only just come home, yet she already couldn't wait to jump into bed with him? I lifted my head to look beside me, which just so happened to be Rachel's room. I didn't know if it was my imagination, but I thought I could hear some faint giggling and moaning. Just the thought of what they were doing inside the room made my stomach churn. Nausea surged through me, and I retched loudly. All conversation in the stairwell abruptly stopped before two housekeepers appeared in my sight, their complexion deathly pale. "M-Mr. Yarrow, w-when did you get here?"

"The East Wing and West Wing protocols are officially compromised. We need a physical perimeter." The suite at the luxury hotel overlooking Central Park was, unfortunately, spectacular. It was a sprawling expanse of velvet, dark mahogany, and floor-to-ceiling glass. And right in the center of the massive master bedroom sat the enemy: a singular, cloud-like California King bed piled high with white down comforters and silk pillows.

My vision blurred, but I forced myself to look around again. “Rolex, where are you?!” Only broken glass answered me. My heart hammered, each beat more agonizing than the last. I clawed at the belt, pulling and screaming…but nothing worked. I reached for a shard of glass and started sawing at the strap desperately. “Please…please no… don’t do this to me…” The moment the belt snapped, I twisted toward the shattered window…and froze. Two men were dragging Rolex across the bridge. My breath died. His white shirt was soaked red, his suit torn, his body limp. He wasn’t fighting. He wasn’t even trying. “No,” I whispered. “No. No!”

Kael’s heart pounded in his chest as the realization hit him like a tidal wave. *They’re trying to bring the palace down.* “Selene, we need to get out—now!” Kael shouted, but before he could take another step, the sound of cracking stone filled the air. The very walls of the palace seemed to groan, and massive cracks began to form in the ancient stone. The tremors grew more intense, the foundation of the palace shuddering as though it were alive. Kael grabbed Selene’s arm, pulling her toward the exit. “We can’t fight this! We need to find a way out before—”

"Understood, boss. We'll handle it." I leaned against the balcony railing, my eyes fixed on the bustling activity below and contemplating my next move. Another one of my men entered the room, dragging a figure behind him. The man, bloodied and bruised, looked like a broken shell of his former self, his face swollen and contorted in pain. I studied him with a mixture of disdain and curiosity, noting the cuts and bruises that marred his once-smooth skin. This was a man who had seen better days, a man who had crossed the wrong person and paid the ultimate price for his folly.

I sat against the damp stone wall of my cell, one leg stretched out, the other bent, my wrists resting loosely on my knees. The chains were unnecessary. The bars were insulting. But the panic above me? Delicious. The great Voss palace had always pretended to be eternal. Perfect walls. Perfect hierarchy. Perfect loyalty. Yet all it took was one transformed woman, two missing children, and one old man in rags for the entire structure to begin eating itself. How fragile people are when certainty leaves them. I closed my eyes and listened. Running guards. Raised voices. Someone crying. Good. Let them taste confusion.

Not physically. Emotionally. This room had witnessed so many versions of me. The frightened girl. The lonely girl. The angry girl. The girl who had spent years believing she was broken. Now all of that felt impossibly distant. Atlas leaned against the doorway. "You left almost nothing." I glanced around. A few books. Some charms hanging near the window. A blanket. Small pieces of a life that no longer fit. "I didn't need much." His expression softened. "No." I carefully removed the charms.