ARAHEverything was in darkness. She could still feel her body, but it felt distant. As if the only thing tethering her to it was an invisible thread stretched from the small of her back.She was still under the boy’s control. His power pulsed through her veins like a quiet current. What was he planning to do with her?Suddenly, she was standing in a strange place. It looked like a throne hall of some sort, but not one she recognized. The entire chamber was built from enormous bones—curved structures that could only belong to ancient beasts. They rose from the ground, arched into walls, and crisscrossed overhead to form a roof. They were arranged with no apparent pattern or design, as though the place had grown wild rather than being constructed.Some of the bones were covered in patches of soft, glowing blue moss, clinging to the surface like living paint. The sight alone raised goosebumps on her arms.She kept walking. But the pe
ARAHShock hit her like a blow to the chest.She’d expected a baby, maybe wrapped in a blanket, maybe crawling or crying. Not a boy who looked no older than six, standing upright with perfect posture and eyes that held too much knowing. He was already the same age as the vision she’d seen through the Dark Fae’s power.Arah’s thoughts raced. How was this possible?It had only been a week since Lexi’s belly had suddenly ballooned out of nowhere. She hadn’t even had time to process it. But now, seeing this child standing here, already far too grown...Her pulse quickened. The Dark Fae had assured her that as long as she allowed the boy to be born and open the dark plane, the future she feared would be averted. Had she been lied to?“I’ve been expecting your arrival, Sylph,” the boy said again, the formality in his tone making her lips part. He resembled Gildeon so closely she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “I’m glad you’re fin
ARAHThe stubborn part of her wanted to stay in the house, no matter what Gildeon had said. But she didn’t want to look pathetic… lingering where she clearly wasn’t wanted.Gildeon just made her feel like she didn’t belong anymore, and she had no idea what was going on with him. She couldn’t bring herself to accept the possibility that the baby was changing him.She packed a bag quickly and marched out of the room, ignoring Lexi’s half-hearted attempt to stop her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Gildeon standing by the window, his back turned.Arah gritted her teeth. The jerk didn’t even flinch. Didn’t even look at her. She was seething inside, but she walked out of the house with composure, her head held high.But once she was on the road, tears welled in her eyes. She let herself cry quietly until she reached her destination.By the time she pulled up to Cora’s house, the sky was dimming. Cora opened
ARAHHer eyes fluttered open, and she grimaced as a throbbing pain pulsed behind her temples. Her fingers instinctively rose to press against her forehead. Every muscle in her body ached, like she’d been tossed into a blender and spun on high. Fortunately, she could already feel the faint energy of her healing process kicking in.Slowly, she sat up and looked around. She was in her room, dressed in her nightie.Confusion settled in. What had happened?The last thing she remembered was her mind being overtaken by the Light Fae, right after she’d taken down the bear-like entity. She’d been trapped in that endless sea of light, feeling helpless.Then Araheen had appeared again. Had she pulled her out?Being alive and in one piece, her past self must have fought for her again.“Gildeon,” she breathed, scrambling out of bed and rushing out of the room.She shoved open the door to his room, but only found Lexi asleep
GILDEONHe was certain that the blade was going to dig straight through his back, even if he managed to harden his scales in time.But it didn’t.A grim presence wrapped around him. His breath caught in his chest as the air filled with heavy energy.Suddenly, it wasn’t cold anymore.Arah was still in his arms. Unconscious, but alive and safe.He exhaled slowly, the tension in his chest breaking. Relief settled in, but only for a moment, because this place looked different. They were no longer in the Light Fae’s frozen domain.What had just happened?He looked down. The ground beneath them was solid rock, rough with cracks and familiar markings etched in crimson. He frowned, recognizing this spot as one of the cliff sites where they’d set up the Containment Sigil.But inside, the wild plants had withered. The circle had been smeared at the edge, as if someone had deliberately defiled it.Was this w
GILDEONHe shifted back into his mortal beast form, letting the scales recede. There was no advantage in staying fully draconic—not when one wrong move could endanger the people he was trying to protect. Besides, he needed to conserve energy. But he kept enough fire burning inside to stay warm in the cold.“Let them go,” he barked, though he knew it wouldn’t rattle the Light Fae. He didn’t need to scare them. He just needed them to talk long enough for him to read them, to pick apart their intention and weakness.But the Light Faes, as far as he knew, were direct by nature. If they said he had to choose who to save, they meant it. No tricks, no middle ground.Still, something about this didn’t make sense.“Choose,” the Light Fae repeated.A smirk tugged at Gildeon’s mouth. “Nice try. You expect me to believe you’d let go of the child you’re so desperate to kill?”“We will allow the child and the mother to live for the time being,” the Light Fae said without pretense. “But we will have