THE SHADOW BRIDE
She may not realize it, but she’s deeper in this than she thinks.
I turn to the water, the still surface reflecting the pale moonlight like some kind of cruel mirror. The lake has always been a place of death for the Maddoxes. A place of bargains made in the shadows, of promises bound in blood.
And now, Avery is part of that bloodline, too. She thinks she’s just a replacement for Camille, but I know better. The Watcher has chosen her. He’s always chosen her.
The weight of the truth settles heavy on my chest. I don’t know how long I stand there, my eyes fixed on the ripples in the water that seem to move without a breeze. Something is stirring beneath the surface—something ancient, something