LOGINRaven’s POVI stared at him, my heart pounding. “You’re insane. You know that, right? You’re completely, utterly insane.”He glanced at me, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.”I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “I’m not safe with you. I’m not safe anywhere.”He didn’t answer. He just drove, his eyes fixed on the road, his jaw clenched.I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking. I dialed Cassian’s number, praying he would answer, praying he would come for me.The phone rang and rang. And then, to my horror, I heard it ringing inside the car.I flinched wondering how on earth it got into the car, my breath catching in my throat. Jerome reached over, picked up the phone from the center console, and held it up like he woke a jackpot in life.“Looking for this?” he asked, his voice mocking. “You really think you can call for help? You really think
Raven’s POVFew minutes ago, I begged and cried. I thrashed and clawed and prayed for any escape at all from this nightmare, from this man who I’d once thought was sweet, who’d smiled at me at Friessa’s birthday party and offered me a slice of cake. Now, his hands were iron on my wrists, his breath hot and desperate against my cheek, and my blood was everywhere on the floor.He licked it up like a starving animal, like a possessive dog, and I wanted to vomit.“Please, Xyrone, please, just let me go,” I sobbed, my voice raw and broken. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t want to do this.”He shook his head, his eyes wild, his lips stained red. “I don’t want to hurt you, Raven. I swear I don’t. But you don’t understand what it’s like. You don’t know what your blood does to us. Just give me what I want and I’ll let you go. I promise.”“Get the fuck out of my face!” I screamed, twisting beneath him, my nails raking down his arm. “
Jerome’s POVI was so furious I could barely see straight. The city lights of Velmora blurred past as I pressed the accelerator, the engine of my car growling in protest. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white, and every few seconds I slammed my palm against it, the sharp sound echoing in the confined space.I wasn’t even mad that she’d slept with them. That wasn’t the point. I was mad because their motive was to mark her, to sever the bond I had with Malia. They thought they could break me, cut me out, make me ordinary. They thought they could take away the only thing that made me special in this cursed city.Living as an ordinary human in Velmora was a death sentence. It was accepting a curse, a slow rot from the inside out. But these last few days, having the upper hand, feeling the power surge through me…God, it was intoxicating. I’d tasted what it was like to be more than just a shadow in my brothers’ world. I’d taste
Raven's POV“I'll be right back “ He smiled and disappeared, making me sigh in relief.I sat down on Friessa's bed, but the uneasiness in my chest only grew stronger.Something was wrong, terribly, horribly wrong. The room felt different, the house felt different, and Xyone... Xyone felt like a stranger wearing a familiar face.My hands trembled as I pulled out my phone and dialed Friessa's number. It rang once, twice, then went straight to voicemail."Hey, it's Friessa! Leave me a message and I'll get back to you when I'm not busy being fabulous!"Her cheerful voice should have been comforting, but instead it made my skin crawl. Where was she? Why wasn't she answering? She always answered when I called, no matter what time it was.I was supposed to be cool, supposed to be okay. We were friends like practically best friends. I'd been to this house dozens of times, knew every corner of Friessa's room, had shared secrets a
Raven's POVI was ashamed and scared of myself. The videos, the fact that Jerome knew about everything, the knowledge that half of Velmora was after my blood, it all crashed over me like a tidal wave of horror and humiliation but all they do is argue rubbish over and over again and bringing me back to reality. I'd never wanted to flee this place more than I did right now.“Hey baby, it's okay” Cassian whispered and tried to come closer but I shook my head and shifted back. “It's not okay, all of this is not okay. The bond, what we did and how it's being discovered, it's not. So please…. stop it if there's no solution to this, stop arguing when he's right.” He opened his mouth to say something but Bolted through the door and left.I wouldn't lie to myself, I had enjoyed everything I'd done with my stepbrothers. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word of love and desire. It had felt right in a way that nothing else in my l
Cassian's POVThe last few moments had been the perfect time of our lives. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it fucking did. We were helpless, and this was the only way to test whatever my bratty uncle had been telling me. I didn't believe him…not one goddamn bit, but what if a part of it was true? What if we needed to mark her all at once to break the bond?She was asleep now, sprawled between us on the massive bed, her skin glowing in the moonlight streaming through the windows. We were all around her, protective, possessive, complete. I didn't feel guilty. I didn't feel like what we'd done was wrong.It was so fucking right. So perfect.Elias shifted beside me, his voice low in the darkness. "Why did you ask us to mark her all at once, Cassian?"I kept my eyes on Raven's peaceful face, my fingers tracing gentle patterns on her bare shoulder. "It was the solution Uncle gave me. To break the bond with Jerome."Elias sc
Raven's PovHorror consumed me as I watched Dante crumple to the ground, his skin cracking and bleeding from the silver light and now it was Cassian. The sound he made…. that guttural scream of pure agony would haunt me forever. "Stop it!" I screamed at Jerome, struggling against his iron grip. "Y
Cassian's Pov I saw red!Blood fucking red as I watched Aunt Kira click her glass against the crystal flute. The delicate sound somehow cut through the ballroom chatter like a blade. Every head turned toward her, and my stomach dropped.My brothers tensed beside me. Damien's face went pale, while
Raven's Pov When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the sunlight flooding my room.The soft golden rays danced across the floor like they belonged here and weren’t intruding into the world of vampires and hidden truths.I blinked….then gasped, sitting up quickly.So many thoughts crashed in
Cassian’s POVRaven wouldn’t come out of her room.It had been hours since we left ,gave her a little accessory to match her outfit, and still… nothing about her scent was perceived.Her door remained shut, and the silence behind it was eating at all of us. I stood outside like a ghost, my hand hov







