I felt a knot tighten in my stomach as I peered at Nathalia, widening my eyes. A thick, suffocating white mask was wrapped around Nathalia’s disfigured face. Every inch of her body was wrapped tightly in fabric to conceal the burn marks on her body and her melted skin. I quickly averted my eyes fr
He looked at Nikolai and continued. “Let your father rest in the hospital. I won’t consider it disrespectful. Tsk! But it would have been more fun if your father joined us for the dinner, baby,” Ezra looked at me. I shook my head slightly. “No? Pity,” Ezra winced. “You’ll be staying for dinner,
[Xanthea] “You threw away all the food just because I ate a freaking blueberry. As though I was contaminated, untouchable. You punished me just because I entered this dining hall. Favorite food? I have hated pancakes and blueberries ever since! I don’t even know why! They feel like shards of glass
A swift wind gushed past me, followed by Nathalia’s shrill scream that pierced through the roof. “MOM!” Meesa widened her eyes. “No, Lia! Let go of her! Mercy, my lord. Mercy! Please!” she said, falling to her knees. “She doesn’t know what she is saying. Please forgive her! She is just a kid.” “M
[Xanthea] “Doctor! Call the doctor!” Meesa howled. “My baby! My Lia! Lia! Sweety! Respond to mamma! Baby!” Taking a knife from the table, I walked closer to Nathalia. “What do you want?” Meesa looked at the knife in my hand, hugging Nathalia protectively. Nathalia was partially unconscious, her
Meesa paused for a while, probably peering at the fruits rolling across the dining table, then she continued. “Your mother started this tradition of hurting and healing. On one hand, she had an affair with my husband and on the other she helped me bear children with her unusual medicines. Pain and
I looked at her, confused. “That’s the name of the person whose identity your mother stole. Freya Plath is not your mother. And identity theft is the worst of the worst crimes. Where does your mother stand on your moral compass now? No one knows where she came from. No one knows her name. No one kn
[Asher Xipher] “You don’t even come close to the dirt they walk on. Ezra. Asher. Raven. They are my husbands. They are my demon lords! And they are never going down!” A small smirk played across Raven’s lips as he peered at Xanthea on his phone screen. I arrived at the Aile castle a few minutes a
The controllers frequently singled out groups of weak bloods, forcing them into perilous situations before kidnapping the survivors under the cover of night. These survivors were subjected to experiments, injected with various drugs, and then sent back within the walls.Most died, but those who surv
[Xanthea]Asher’s tone grew heavier and I could see why through my mother’s memories.“The weak bloods were promised a permanent secure shelter within these walls…”All the giant gates and smaller exits of the walls were closed, trapping all the weak bloods while they were fast asleep.For the first
Waiting, uncertain if someone would show up, was the worst feeling. I knew because I’d felt it when I called Ezra for help with the kids and waited. Those few minutes shattered me. I couldn’t even imagine what six-year-old Ezra endured, waiting for years.“A girl had been observing Ezra all this tim
The soft flutter in my chest instantly turned into electrifying goosebumps as he wrapped his fingers around mine, his grip tightening, holding my hand with an intensity that sent a shiver through me.We stood at the same distance as before, yet somehow, we had come closer.There were no words betwee
[Xanthea]‘… to cure the curse your mother put upon us because only you can.’Asher’s words hit me like a blow to the chest, leaving me breathless and blank. I stared at him as thousands of thoughts rammed into my mind. I was scared like I had never been before.Although I couldn’t decipher who I wa
There were glimpses and unfinished sentences. Lifeless body of a child, probably a weak blood.‘Another disappointm—’Peeled skin. Severed muscles.‘Burn him, prepare the other—’Eyeballs leaking from the eye sockets. People struggling as her helpers stuffed clothes in their mouth to muffle their gr
Experimenting on living subjects thrilled her. It was all fun for her. It was astonishing how she remained utterly undisturbed by it all. She justified every action with the belief that it was for the advancement of healing and immortality.‘Thank you for your contribution,’ she would say to each te
‘And that is why they will be punished as well,’ Alpha Caelum replied coldly. ‘As for you, you are hereby expelled from the Solvaris pack — and the Celestial realm.’My mother looked devastated, but she didn’t plead for mercy.‘I accept,’ she said brazenly as she strutted out of the court.With a sl
[Xanthea]I stared at Asher, my chest tightening as his words echoed in the air, heavy and inescapable. My mind scrambled to process what he had just said.“No.” The word slipped out, trembling and frail. “That’s not… It’s not possible.”Asher’s gaze remained distant. There was a cruel pity in the w