LOGINRaven's POVI almost slammed the door in their faces, my heart racing with a mixture of relief and panic at seeing them standing there. But Cassian was faster…he always was and blocked the door with his foot before I could shut them out."Are you avoiding us now?" he asked, his voice low and hurt. "Are we outcasts that you don't want to see anymore? Don't want to talk to us? Don't even want to ask how we're faring without you by our side?"I looked at Caius, he was a bit pale but standing, and I felt my resolve crumble slightly. "I don't want any of you to get hurt again," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "My presence is already doing so much damage to everyone I care about.""Raven—" Elias started, but I cut him off."I'm happy here until everything gets sorted out," I said firmly. "I won't stand as a danger to anybody anymore. As long as Jerome is out there, he's going to hurt you because of me."That's when I heard Fre
Raven's POVFreissa and I were in the kitchen, the warm glow of the afternoon sun streaming through the windows as her mother bustled around, preparing what seemed like enough food to feed an army. The domestic scene felt so normal, so peaceful after everything that had happened."You know," her mother said, stirring a pot of something that smelled absolutely divine, "this reminds me of when I was your age, Raven. Let me tell you about how prom was celebrated in my school."I looked up from where I was chopping vegetables, immediately intrigued. "You went to prom, here in Velmora?"She laughed, a sound both bitter and nostalgic. "Oh yes, and not in Velmora and I ended up as Prom Queen, which turned out to be a complete disaster.""How?" I asked, genuinely confused. "That's supposed to make you feel more admired, right? Being queen?""You'd think so," she said with a rueful smile. "But it was the complete opposite. They made me qu
Cassian's POVDad said he'd be back the next day after I told him about the chaotic development at home. His voice had been clipped and professional over the phone, but I could hear the underlying fury. The King didn't like surprises, especially ones that involved his children being attacked."Handle it until I return," he'd said simply. "Do whatever is necessary."That wasn't my business at the moment, though. I was worried about Raven. She held that face I hated, guilt. It was written all over her beautiful features as if she'd caused all of this chaos when it wasn't her fault in any way. The way her shoulders curved inward, the way she couldn't meet our eyes, the way she kept apologizing for things beyond her control….it made my chest tight with rage.I went crazy after she left without a trace, taking Caius's car and disappearing into the night like some kind of ghost. My hands were shaking as I paced the mansion's main hall, my mind
Raven's POVI've never felt fear like this since I was born. Not since the trauma of my dad locking me in that suffocating closet while he beat up my mother, her screams echoing through the thin walls. But this…..this was the worst horror of the year, maybe of my entire existence.My hands were covered in blood. Jerome's blood. It was everywhere, on my fingers, under my nails, staining my clothes like some twisted baptism. Jerome was on the floor, groaning in pain, his body convulsing as the silver worked its way through his system.I stared at myself, at my blood-soaked hands, thinking I was going to die through the bond. The connection between us should have meant his pain was my pain, his wounds were my wounds. I was still connected to him—I could feel it, that invisible thread that tied us together."I'm going to die," I whispered, the words tumbling from my lips like a prayer. "I'm fucking going to die."That's all that was
Cassian's POVI placed the gun I'd stolen from Uncle Aldric's house directly against Kira's temple, the cold metal pressing into her perfectly styled hair. I didn't know why that old man had a human weapon, he was a fucking vampire, not some mortal who needed guns for protection but I'd taken it just in case it would be useful. And right now, I was fucking glad I had."You're shaking, Aunt Kira," I said, my voice deadly calm. "That's not very becoming of someone who's been pulling strings for decades."Kira's eyes were wide with terror, but she still tried to maintain her composure. "You're a son of a bitch who's been possessed by madness, Cassian. Put that gun down before you do something you'll regret.""The only son who was possessed was your son," I snarled, pressing the gun harder against her skull. "The same son you sent to swap places with my real brother. The same son you've been protecting all these years while making my parents believe t
Elias's POVI didn't know what the call was all about, but I wasn't blind. The air in Uncle Aldric's cottage shifted the moment Cassian's phone rang, becoming thick and suffocating like the moments before a storm breaks. I could feel something was terribly wrong because Cassian stiffened in shock, his entire body going rigid as stone while I heard Raven's crying voice bleeding through the speaker."Cassian, you need to come home right now!" Her voice was pure terror, shaking and desperate. "Jerome….he's here, and he's completely lost it! He stabbed Dante, and Caius is—"The line went dead.Cassian was on his feet instantly, his face drained of all color. "We have to go. Now."He turned to Uncle Aldric, his voice clipped and professional despite the chaos I could see brewing in his eyes. "Thank you for everything. For the truth and for the answers we needed.""Cassian, wait—" Aldric started, but my brother was already he
Chapter 1Raven's PovI came back from school feeling pissed and exhausted. My uniform was stuck to my skin with sweat and my backpack felt heavier than usual, all I wanted to do was throw myself on my bed and sleep but the second I stepped into the house, I knew something was wrong.My mother was
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
Chapter 3Raven's PovThe moment I stepped into the Den, I knew I had made a mistake. The place was shrouded in darkness, like a void swallowing everything whole. A thick, sickening stench of blood invaded my nostrils, making my stomach churn. My instincts screamed at me to turn around and leave, b
Chapter 2Raven's PovI couldn’t believe what I was seeing, The man my mother was marrying didn’t look a day over twenty-five, maybe younger than my own boyfriend back in the city. His features were too sharp, too perfect, almost unreal. His skin was flawless, a pale ivory that made his dark crimso







