جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

The diner was turning into a walking disaster. Every time a customer patted my shoulder, I had to fight the urge to snap their radius like a dry twig. Every time someone got too close, that weak, watered-down human scent hit me like a physical weight, making my head swim. I was a hazard, and I was going to crack eventually.I needed out, i couldn’t stay here. Julian had left me enough cash to disappear for a lifetime, so I stopped showing up to the diner. I scouted the outskirts of town until I found a property at the very end of a dead-end road, where the streetlights died and the woods started crawling in. It was a solid, weathered house, within the week I had the legal papers signed and the deed in my name. It was completely private.I added an extension to the front, turning the front porch into a compact, glass-fronted flower shop, it was the perfect front. Nobody questions a woman who wants to spend her days surrounded by soil and stems. I stocked it with lilies, heavy roses, an

"It’s because of you," he corrected. "The Pact feeds on human life force to maintain its stability. It always has. But for thousands of years, I was only ever fed on the dregs, the weak energy of those who feared me. It was sustenance, but it was sterile. It didn't wake me up. Then I found you."He traced the line of my jaw, his touch light, almost reverent. "The moment you drew blood from me, something broke. You aren't just a human, Andrea. You have a chaotic, wild spark in your soul that isn't bound by the rules of this world. When you touched me, you didn't just drain energy, you infused me with your own. You gave me back the capacity to feel anger, to feel regret, and yes… to feel the crushing weight of missing you."I felt a shiver run down my spine. "So I’m not a battery. You weren't siphoning me to stabilize your reign. You were trying to wake up.""I was trying to survive without losing the last scrap of myself," he admitted, his jaw tightening. "The Traditionalists hate you

Julian’s smirk widened. "Exactly. She’s not just a weapon. She’s a conduit. You two have no idea what you're actually capable of, do you?"Caius looked at the flower, then at me, his gaze shifting from dangerous to something much more complicated. "We’re just getting started."The shop was quiet, except for the soft thump of my heart and the way my skin felt like it was humming. Julian and Caius were watching me like I was a science experiment, and honestly, I kinda felt like one."Alright," Julian said, pacing the room while Caius leaned against the counter, his arms crossed, that intense look never leaving his eyes. "We know you can jump-start dead matter. You brought that rose back. Now, let’s see the range. Close your eyes."I did as I was told. The moment I shut them, the world didn't go dark, it went wide. It was like I’d been viewing the world through a keyhole and suddenly someone kicked the door down. I could feel the house, the street outside, the damp earth beneath the flo

The air in the shop didn't just turn cold; it curdled. I was in the back room, trying to force a stubborn, rusted padlock to melt just by staring at it, when the front door didn't just open, it exploded off its hinges.I didn't need to look to know, I felt the intrusion like a splinter in my brain. There were four of them. Cold, arrogant, and smelling of stale incense and centuries of decayed ambition and Lysandra was at the front, flanked by three of her lapdogs, they looked like soulless enforcers."Julian," I hissed, but he was already moving. He didn't stand a chance, not against four of them at once. He lunged, trying to buy me time to get to the back, but they were too fast. One of them caught him by the throat, slamming him against the wall with enough force to shatter the plaster, another one drove a jagged, silver-tipped blade through his shoulder, pinning him there like a butterfly in a display case."So little pet" Lysandra said, her voice was a silky, poisonous whisper

The throne room was like an icebox, and not just because of the architecture. The atmosphere in there was so toxic you could practically taste it, like licking a battery that had been sitting in a puddle of bile. Caius was standing on the dais, with his arms crossed over his chest, looking like he was five seconds away from deciding which one of these snooty Elders he wanted to decapitate first.I was standing beside him, with my hands in my pockets. I was wearing a simple coat, something that didn’t scream I’m the secret weapon. I kept my face blank, my eyes dull, acting exactly like the human pet they wanted me to be. It was hilarious, honestly. They were sweating bullets, terrified of what I might be, and I was just standing there thinking about how much I wanted a damn coffee.Then came Elder Vane, the guy with the eyes like frozen pond water. He was the biggest prick in the room, the one who’d been the loudest about me being a stain on the lineage. He stepped forward, his robes