Shattered Vows Novels & Stories

I gasped, but my words were swallowed by the dizziness crashing over me. The scarred man’s laughter rang in my ears, cruel and echoing. “You really thought you could negotiate with me?” I tried to push myself up, to fight, but my body betrayed me. My arms felt like lead, my legs heavy and useless. The world tilted sideways, darkness pressing in at the edges of my sight. “Adrien Volkov,” the scarred man said as he crouched beside me, his voice almost gleeful. “You should have stayed away.”

he said, his tone dripping with disdain. The words cut deep, and Veda felt her heart shattering into a million pieces. "I thought our vows meant something," she whispered. Adyant snorted. "Vows? Those were just empty promises, Veda. We both knew it." Veda's eyes widened in shock as the reality check of her shattered vows laid bare in front of her fragile heart. "How can you say that?" she demanded, her voice laced with pain. Adyant's gaze locked onto hers.

Mum spoke first. “The Moon marks what is broken and returns it made whole. We honor her law today.” She looked between Cowrie and her groom, then Gavin and Sariah, then Ruhan and me. “Three vows. One for bond, one for peace, one for rule.” Cowrie went first. “I vow to guard what is mine and take what is offered in trust.” Her husband repeated it. Mum nodded. Gavin spoke next. “I vow to shield what is mine and serve where I am needed.”

“I was the one wronged, George! The one that was betrayed! Tell me, what if I didn’t read that diary? What if I hadn’t found out, would you have ever told me?” His jaw tightened, and for a moment, silence surrounded them. “I’ll take everything down,” he said at last, his tone softening. “I’ll clear your name, Lia. But I won’t sign anything. We made vows, and those vows weren’t just for seven years, they were for eternity.” Her breath hitched. “Don’t you dare talk about vows,” she whispered bitterly, her voice trembling. “You broke them the moment you lied to me.” He finally loosened his grip, his hands falling to his sides as she stumbled back. Her eyes were red, but she didn’t care.

And the thing only stared. “Your family made a contract,” it said. “But contracts have cost. You offered blood. We took it. Now you deny us?” “You were never part of the deal,” I spat. Its smile twisted. “But I am the consequence. And consequences… grow.” --- The mirrors behind us burst, shards flying like silver rain. The world trembled. Voices whispered from the shards—Margaret, Vera, Isadora—all the brides calling our names. “Finish the vow.” “Break the bloodline.”

“But I swear, Adriana… I will bring fire back from these ruins. And when I do, they’ll all burn for what they’ve taken.” The wind tore through the silence, carrying his vow into the darkness. Behind him, a shadow moved—the faint outline of Adriana slipping away down the hall, unseen, her heart broken but her spirit far from crushed. Two vows had been made that night. One of ashes. One of fire. And both would shape the war to come.

Kissing her while cameras flashed and the crowd watched and Isabella's heart shattered into pieces too small to ever put back together. Then, mercifully, there was nothing.

Vanessa’s voice sliced through the silence, sweet yet laced with venom. “I warned you, Ethan,” she said, her eyes sparkling with triumph. “Didn’t I tell you she was unfaithful? But you wouldn’t listen. You defended her.” I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Ethan’s gaze locked onto mine. What I saw there shattered me. Agony. Disbelief. Betrayal. “How could you, Liana?” His voice was strained, raw, and broken. “How could you betray me like this?” “No!” The word burst from me, filled with desperation and pleading. “Ethan, it’s not what it looks like! Please, just let me explain...”

The word settled deep in my chest, fracturing the last of Elias’s poisonous whispers. I kissed her hard, pouring the reclaimed fire into it—possession, gratitude, the dark promise of what I’d do to protect what was mine. She melted into me, fingers digging into my shoulders, matching my intensity. When we broke apart, both breathing ragged, I rested my forehead against hers. “The Ghost wanted to break me with fractured vows,” I said quietly. “He doesn’t understand. My vows to you—to Alora—they’re what’s going to bury him.” Liora smiled, small but devastating. “Then let’s start digging his grave.” The hunter in me roared to life. The game had truly begun.

He had seen it in her three times in three years and each time it had ended with broken glass or a screaming match or him leaving to sleep at the office. "Say that again," she said quietly. "I never promised you anything, Vanessa. I let you into my life because I was broken and you were there. That is not a promise. That is convenience." Her eyes welled. He did not care. "Damien. What is happening to you?" "I do not know. I am finding out." She stared at him for a long moment. Then she wiped her eyes, squared her shoulders, and walked out. As she left, she said one thing over her shoulder, so quietly he almost missed it.