Skybound Studios Novels & Stories

Tiana replied sweetly. “Then you must be obsessed with me.” “Unfortunately.” Elani leaned into Ryan’s side with a grin. “You two are going to raise the loudest pups.” Ryan chuckled. “Or the sassiest.” “We aim for excellence,” Bryer said. Just then, the front door creaked open. Zyon stepped in, sweat-drenched from training, hair a little tousled, shirt clinging to his frame. He stopped in his tracks, eyeing the cozy mess in front of him. His gaze landed directly on Ryan’s arm still around Elani’s waist.

Beastfolk were on the lower end of society's hierarchy. If Nathaniel's beastfolk side was revealed to the public, his company would be in danger. This was great news! I was delighted, and tears of joy streamed down my astral form's cheeks. Now I finally had dirt on him! Let's see him trying to snipe my projects now! The serpent's tail slowly coiled around me. Its chilly sensation was the polar opposite of Nathaniel's warmth. A song of ice and fire.

The estate stretched behind them like a sleeping beast, silver clouds drifting over its spires. For a moment, none of them spoke. The moon hung low, heavy, almost close enough to touch. Evelyn turned to Lucien. “What happens now?” He looked up at the sky. “Now?” “Now that the truth is out.” His eyes caught the moonlight, silver and burning. “Now we find out if we’re the first to survive it.” Behind them, deep in the house, a voice whispered through the broken comms system—static laced with words that weren’t supposed to exist anymore:

“I heard you started talking with Sir Ray Hart from the Sky Corporation, Noemi! You’ll be the only person they invest in the entire country soon enough!” “The Sky Corporation is a massive company! You’ll be rich if you actually get their exclusive rights!” “Yeah! With their funds, you can invest in whoever you want! When that happens, you can crush all three great families of the South Sea on your own!” “No matter how great their businesses are, they’re no match against the Sky Corporation!” “Right! I heard Mordu’s Kaizen Group is interested in opening up business here! That’s a big fish in the entertainment industry!”

After Novia left, I straightened up before heading out to my audition. Sky Games, a game company owned by Sky Media, had been on the rise in recent years. They were planning to release a handheld game called The Legend this summer. To promote the game, they plan to shoot a promotional video. The shooting for most of the characters was already completed, except for one character, Luna of the Alpha King, that required excellent action skills. The director was searching for a stunt double with both coolness and charm, without being too fragile or demonic. Despite trying out several people, none of them quite hit the mark. So, he casually posted a tweet: "Luna is hard to find."

An obsidian stone is inside my seal, and the guards fall over themselves to let us inside once they know who I am. The wall is ridiculously tall, made of thick, reinforced steel. I crane my neck back, move my hair back to see it all. The portly guard pulls a lever, and a portion of it lowers. Clunky and groaning, the ice flys out, the gate forcing its way open. The gate lowers completely, warm water slowly trickles out, and the inside of Estate Eclipse is steaming. I grab onto Dante and he helps me past the blocks of ice until we cross the other side of the gate.

And something in her gut something primal told her Kael wasn’t the only danger looming tonight. --- The chanting stopped. A hush fell over the clearing, sharp and sudden. The Blood Moon Binding was about to begin. Kael stepped forward, his long black coat brushing the grass. The crowd watched as he moved like he already owned the ground beneath him, like he already owned her. Lyra took a breath, steadying herself, lifting her chin so no one would see the crack in her resolve. The Elder of Stormfang, a withered wolf with scar-lined hands, began the ancient words that would bind Lyra to Kael not just in promise, but in blood, in soul, in pack magic.