JASMINETo our disappointment and annoyance, there were very few records about Sylvia, Cole’s mother, in Hescor, even in the Royal Archives.I had heard once that the late King Theodore ordered everything related to Sylvia to be burned, as if he wanted to erase her existence entirely and pretend that she had never been his romantic partner in any capacity. Her very name was forbidden in the presence of the old king.Anyone who even casually mentioned Sylvia could be punished brutally, depending on why her name was being evoked. Sometimes, if Theodore was even in just a slightly poor mood, he would snap and order the devastating torture or execution of the person who dared utter a word about her.If the strange and beautiful sapphire bracelet I found in the river belonged to Sylvia… it could explain why something so precious had been thrown into the river. It would make sense that any physical reminders of her existence would be removed from the palace and cast aside.Though I had to w
JASMINEIt took me a moment to realize it, but my sister was utterly soaked with blood, her face, identical to mine, was nearly as grim as Flynn’s.Her steely gray eyes were serious and calculated as they met mine and I rushed to her at once as my stomach twisted into knots.The metallic smell of blood blew through the quiet room. I hadn’t seen my sister in such a mess in a long time, not since those bloody fights in the arena.“What’s going on?” I asked as fear rose from my belly. I glanced around at everyone before settling on Addison. “Are you okay?”“I’m fine,” Addison assured me. “I promise, Jaz.”“Addison, you’re covered in blood,” I pointed out with a raised brow, remaining composed externally while internally, I was worried about my twin.“This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me bloody, Jasmine,” she rolled her eyes, and the moment she did, I knew that she was okay. Had she been kind, something would have been completely wrong. But no, she was her usual blunt self, which mea
EVELYNA week.There was a week for me to decide my fate.Mine and Cole’s.Or a week to find a way out of this place and save my mate, the Alpha King suspended in a deep slumber that could span for the rest of his life, ending only from his death.But how?How could I save him? How could I save us? This situation felt impossible and the overwhelming pain of it all threatened to cave my chest in.How could I do this?I had no clue. I supposed the only solution was to kill Jack Elrod, but how would I be able to do that? He was stronger, and faster, not to mention possessed powers that I still didn’t understand. He was able to freeze people, and communicate without words… what else was he capable of?Thinking of how difficult everything was, how impossible and how seemingly hopeless my existence felt, I clenched my fists and winced in frustration.Emma suddenly protested with a small yelp, pulling me back to reality.“Evelyn, you’re holding my hand too tightly,” she remarked, her big haz
EVELYNI remained quiet, guilt filling my entire body with every passing second. I hadn’t meant to blurt everything out, hadn’t meant to speak to him so harshly on the day of our reunion. I didn’t mean to hurt my father’s feelings, but his stubbornness and unwillingness to even try to make our situation better made me release all the grievances I’d held in for years.Mother brought Emma close to her and stepped away from us. My little sister seemed confused about what was happening, not that I could blame her. This sort of moment should have been saved for a more private time, but it was too late now. I had laid down all of my problems and complaints.It was up to him to navigate the situation.“You’re right, Evelyn,” he admitted with a sigh, running a hand through his gray-streaked hair. “You’re right about everything. I made a mistake and it’s my fault that our family is in this situation. It’s all my fault.”He wiped his face and closed his eyes, and I felt a pang of sadness in my
EVELYN“What deal?” I asked, my brows furrowing as I stared at my father in surprise. I wasn’t certain what he meant but the mere notion that he’d struck a deal with Jack Elrod was concerning to say the least, especially given this new revelation about Cole’s mother and her identity as a human wizard. .What had been arranged? Father hesitated for a moment and glanced away, breaking our eye contact. He ran his hand through his silvering hair and then released a heavy sigh, his eyes weary as they met mine again.“Jack wanted House Caddel to show our absolute loyalty to him,” he explained, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.I blinked in response, trying to understand what such a thing could mean.“Absolutely loyalty,” I repeat back to him. “What does that mean, Father?”Father gazed out past the terrace, his eyes absently searching for anything, likely some sort of point to focus on rather than me.“The closeness between you and Cole was a threat to him,” he continued a
EVELYNFather looked at me with a look of resignation and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair and his mouth tensed as he studied me.“I know you’re unstoppable,” he began reluctantly, his tone gentle in the way that only a parent’s could be toward their child. “But I want you to be extra careful, Eva. Jack Elrod is a dangerous person.”“I’m not afraid of him,” I assured him, only a half-truth given Jack’s capabilities. If he was able to suspend Cole in some sort of sleep, enchant people into doing his bidding without so much as uttering a word and turning ordinary people into killing machines… there was no telling what else he could do. Father was right to warn me to be careful, but I knew that when it came to Cole and his safety, there was nothing I wouldn’t do.“I know, Eva,” Father sighed. “I know you’re not. You’re every inch your brother’s sister. More strong than I ever could have imagined you’d be.”He took a step closer, his expression softening as he placed his hand on m
EVELYNI jumped, startled, and closed the book at once. I was immediately glad that I had locked the door and stashed the book under my pillow before crossing the room.“Who is it?” I asked, trying to hide any alarm in my voice.“It’s Crystal, my Lady. May I enter?”A small sense of relief ran through me, thrilled that it wasn’t Jack.“Enter,” I said once I unlocked the door and stepped away.The door opened and to my surprise, she wasn’t alone. The red-haired girl was followed by a few men who carried two large wooden chests.“Place them on the floor,” Crystal ordered firmly but not impolitely.The men did as instructed and then retreated.“What are these?” I asked as my eyes trailed over the chests.“They’re presents from the Master,” she answered. As she opened them, I saw loads of dresses and fancy jewelry. I studied them closely and found some were very familiar.I frowned as I realized that they were replicas of some of my old dresses which were either confiscated or burnt after
JASMINE“What are you thinking, Jasmine?” Addison demanded, her temper flaring as she burst into my room. Her gray eyes flashed and I nearly winced as she approached. “Are you out of your mind? Don’t you know how dangerous this is going to be?”I took a small, centering breath and stepped aside from my half-packed bag, eyes fixing on my twin. It had been a long time since I’d seen Addison so angry like this. “I know you’re mad, Addison, but this is the best solution,” I replied evenly, subduing my worry in favor of assuring her. “We needed to craft a plan and this was the only way it was going to work-”“This isn’t the best solution,” my sister fired back, shaking her head. “The best we thing can do is wait to get a clear understanding of the situation. House Madden should be the one to rush to the front. It would do our family no good.”“What do you mean?” I asked as my brows furrowed.“I don’t know how much clearer I can be,” Addison replied sharply, her arms crossing against her c