“NO!” Serena jolted awake with a choked gasp. Her slender frame was drenched in a cold sweat as the remnants of her vivid dream clung to her like a suffocating shroud.Tears streaked her flushed cheeks, the salty tracks still damp against her skin as she blinked rapidly in an effort to clear her blurred vision.The silk sheets tangled around her legs like a physical manifestation of the turmoil that had plagued her restless sleep.The weight of Enzo's dark revelation seemed to have followed her into the realm of slumber, tormenting her with flashes of a life she couldn't consciously remember - but one that felt achingly, undeniably familiar.She had dreamed of a love so profound, so all-consuming, that it transcended lifetimes and worlds. A bond between a fallen angel and a mere mortal woman, one of such sacred intensity that it shattered the boundaries between the divine and the damned.And yet, she had also dreamed of betraying that transcendent connection in an act of unconscionable
Serena finally emerged from the bathroom sometime later, wrapped in a robe with her damp hair hanging in disheveled waves around her shoulders.She felt marginally refreshed and more human. The hot water had helped to clear her head somewhat, even if it couldn't fully banish the lingering shadows of her dream.She ran the hair dryer over her hair until the moisture was out. Then she went to the cavernous walk-in closet and quickly tugged on a pair of fitted black knit gown that skimmed her curves before falling to just over her knees.The v-neck was deep enough to show a hint of cleavage but modest enough to be considered casual day wear.She completed the outfit with ankle boots and a delicate silver-gold necklace with a sharp-shaped pendant she found inside her huge jewelry box.Her fingers lingered on the cool metal of the pendant for a moment, a lump forming in her throat as she thought of the man who had gotten it for her.The man who now knew the darkest, most shameful secret of
Serena's body went rigid against the solid oak wall she had just crashed into. Her heart pounded against her ribcage.She didn't dare look up, didn't dare meet the piercing gaze she could feel burning into her with an intensity that threatened to consume her whole. Deep down, in the very marrow of her bones, she knew exactly who had her pinned there - the one person she'd been desperately trying to avoid at all costs.Serena felt exposed and vulnerable in a way that made her throat constrict with guilt. Her chest tightened until each shallow breath was a struggle.The last thing she wanted, the absolute last thing in the world she needed right now, was for Knox to see her like this. She didn’t want to be seen looking all disheveled, emotionally wrecked, and barely holding it together by a few tenuous threads of rapidly fraying control.The whole reason she had wanted to escape to the city was to get a total makeover.She needed to change up her look so drastically that she wouldn't so
Meredith's long golden hair was a tangled mess.Stubborn strands escaped the hasty knot at her nape to frame her flushed face.The clothes she had haphazardly thrown on were slightly askew, exposing a glimpse of her creamy skin.Dark circles smudged the delicate skin under her eyes, and there was a veritable array of angry-looking hickeys peeking out from the low neckline of her blouse."Leave the poor girl alone!" Meredith continued in a tone of aggravated disbelief, shooting a pointed look at where Killian and President Bolting were seated at the dining table, whose eyes were wide with shock and no small amount of morbid amusement at her appearance."Have you lost all sense of propriety and decency? For heaven's sake, it's not even 9 AM yet!"Serena was also jolted back to reality as if doused in ice water.Her cheeks flushed an even darker red as she registered her grandmother-in-law's words and the implications behind them.She immediately tried to extract herself from Knox's embra
Serena finally got the chance to really take in Knox's appearance. He was dressed casually in a heather gray sweatsuit, the soft material clinging to his toned physique in a way that made her mouth go dry.The hoodie was pulled back just enough to reveal his dark, tousled locks she loved running her fingers through with a few stubborn strands falling over his forehead in a way that was utterly disarming.She had to admit, seeing him like this so relaxed and at ease - was incredibly refreshing compared to the serious, formal suits he typically wore.Those tailored outfits always gave him such an intimidating, deadly air. But right now, he just looked like any other gorgeous guy, albeit an exceptionally handsome one.A ridiculously good-looking one! Serena thought with an internal blush."See something you like?" Knox's deep voice pulled Serena from her admiring reverie.He had caught her staring, if the amused quirk of his full lips was any indication.Heat flooded her cheeks at being s
Killian paused when he felt several murderous eyes on him. The one with the most intensity to kill him came from non-other than Knox.Oh fuck, he had done it again! He mentally slapped his palm over his mouth.His gaze drifted to Serena who was breaking out in cold sweat.Her face had gone pale and one didn’t need to be told what was running through her mind.The reminder this was the potential fate that awaited her at Knox's hands dawned on Serena.One moment of weakness, one slip in control, and she could end up as nothing more than a drained husk, discarded like yesterday's trash.Knox tilted his head to look at his little wife.One glance at Serena's ashen, sweat-beaded face confirmed she had envisioned that same nightmarish fate befalling her at his hands.The raw terror etched across her features was a dagger to Knox's heart.Serena's father looked equally shaken to his core, as if only now truly grasping the danger his daughter faced by being inextricably entangled in this super
Serena's throat constricted violently as a strangled, gargling sound was all that could escape her lips.Her hands flew up instinctively to splay over the delicate column of her neck in desperate, clawing motions.Shock, horror, and disbelief were evident in her widened eyes that was now rimmed with red, as she stared up at Knox.Tears spilled in a fat, glistening river down her flushed cheeks, leaving salty trails in their wake.Why couldn't she speak? Had she truly lost her ability to form words, to give voice to the maelstrom of emotions raging inside her? Would she be forever condemned to this haunting silence, never again able to utter even the simplest phrase? The thought was too terrible for Serena to bear!Knox could read every frantic, spiraling thought reflected in the teary depths of her gaze.His own eyes softened with concern and tenderness and gathered her violently trembling form into the protective circle of his arms even more."Easy now, love," he crooned. "Everything
Killian finally stopped his hacking coughs and stood up on his feet. His body was now fully healed from the nasty spikes that had pierced through him earlier. Those wicked things would've probably killed him if he didn't possess his handy regenerative abilities. Killian slowly scanned the chaotic scene in the once elegant dining room, taking in every detail with a calculated gaze to piece together what had transpired during his brief dance with death.First, his eyes landed on the unconscious body of the voluptuous female who had screamed bloody murder under his merciless torture the entire night. Her ample chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. Her golden hair splayed out around her head like a halo on the polished marble floor. Jenkins was sprawled out cold a few feet away with his mouth hanging open in an undignified manner like a sack of potatoes. A thin trail of drool leaked from the corner of his slack lips.Killian's gaze then shifted to President Bolting who was also r
Only the monsters remained a seemingly endless horde that would continue to ravage and destroy until the entire world was little more than a barren, lifeless husk. Knox could not, would not, allow that to happen. Not after everything, not after the unfathomable sacrifices that had already been made in the pursuit of preventing such a future from coming to pass. Too much had been lost, too many lives extinguished in the fires of this onslaught. Darkness swirled around him and began coiling outwards to merge with the torrential downpour. The vortex rapidly expanded, growing in size and ferocity until it became an all-consuming maw ready to devour everything in its path. The earth itself seemed to tremble by the vortex of annihilation taking form, as if the very world were protesting the profane nature of the forces being brought to bear. The air itself seemed to warp and twist, reality buckling under the strain of the immense power being channeled. Each bolt of lightning tha
Knox simply remained there for long, excruciating moments, taking in the sight of her serene repose as if etching every line and curve into his tortured memory so he wouldn't lose even the tiniest detail.Suddenly, Serena's body was engulfed in a dazzling burst of light, with glowing tendrils extending outward to encircle Knox's form. He pulled the light within, absorbing it as if he were a hole eating the stars. It was the portion of his soul he had given Serena in both their past lives and this current one, now being reclaimed after her death. Then Knox rose to his feet with fluidity, seemingly defying the rules of gravity once the last remnants of that magnificent essence were sucked back into his form."Let us never meet again!" he intoned, his voice a discordant rasp that held no trace of anything remotely human. The words carried such weight, such profundity of power that the trembling maid instantly crumpled motionlessly to the floor. Her mind simply could not withstand the
Tears burned hot in Meredith's eyes at the brutal truth of Enzo's words. She had failed - failed utterly to protect Knox, failed to prevent this future from becoming their new reality. Deep in her soul, she could feel the ancient spirits of Queen Minerva and Princess Myra weeping bitter tears of sorrow and regret. Their sacred bloodline, their eternal legacy was now irrevocably tainted by this unraveling of fate.A choked sound somewhere between a sob and a bitter peal of laughter escaped her lips when Sahar's severed head came rolling to a stop at her feet with her dead eyes still holding a mocking glint of triumph even in death. The twisted wench had achieved her ultimate goal - to bring about the utter ruination of their legacy, the destruction of every last Cavalieri-Delgaard dynasty. All around them, the battle raged on with no end in sight, the air thick with the sights, sounds and smells of death. Killian's towering Lycan form, battered and bleeding from a thousand savage
The sight of everyone she loved fighting for their very existence against such overwhelming odds...it was a blade twisting in Meredith's heart.A searing agony lanced through her and she knew Enzo was injured. It was the effect of a mate bond whether fated or chosen. She stumbled, gasping for air as she clutched at her chest. The pain was almost beyond endurance… like a molten lance of agony that threatened to bring her to her knees. Tears burned in her eyes and her sight blurred as the true gravity of their situation hit her like a battering ram. Any wound inflicted by these abominations was fatal. Their claws, fangs, and very essence were imbued with a poison that corrupted all it touched.“Is there no way?” Her mind reeled like ashes on the wind as another spasm of anguish gripped her in its merciless talons. “Is there no way to save them all? To avert this future I've foreseen?”Her body trembled violently and her legs threatened to give out beneath her as she watched her love
Meredith drew on her newly regained powers and unleashed a torrent of energy at the beasts. The demons recoiled, shrieking in fury and anguish as magic seared their rotting flesh. The stench of burning meat filled the air, mingling with the miasma that clung to the creatures.Meredith maintained the onslaught, driving them back through the shattered doorway with relentless determination.Next, she sealed the room with an impenetrable barrier when the last of the abominations stumbled back into the hall, wailing in pain and wrath.She turned to face the trembling girl. "Stay here if you wish to live, child," Meredith instructed. "This madness needs to cease, and soon, before it swallows us all."Then she swept from the chamber and out into the chaos that had engulfed the estate's once-clean halls. The hallway ahead was a nightmare come true, with claw marks on the walls, bloody paintings, and the crushed bodies of fallen defenders strewn over the floor like discarded objects.Meredi
Meredith's heart thundered against her ribcage as she paced the length of Knox and Serena's bedroom suite. Her footfalls echoed with a hollow resonance that belied the emptiness gnawing at her very soul.The incessant rattling and banging against the thick oak door grew more insistent with each passing moment in a cacophony of destruction that served as a reminder of the hellish forces laying siege to their home. Beyond that rapidly crumbling barrier, chaos ruled in an unholy storm of violence that threatened to devour all Meredith held dear.Shrieks of unimaginable agony intermingled with roars. Each haunting wail, each guttural bellow, sent a fresh wave of anguish coursing through Meredith's immortal frame. How many had already fallen? The question burned in her mind like acid, eating away at what little composure she managed to maintain. How many brave warriors, loyal protectors of the estate had lost their lives under the claws of these abominations? The faces of those she had
"I'm the only woman alive now who can give you an heir, bear you children to carry on your bloodline..." Her words were a hushed whisper. "I am your rightful mate at long last. We were always meant to be together as one, you and I. Two halves of the same whole."She sniffled again as a fresh wave of tears spilled forth. "You should have accepted my request earlier, when I simply wanted to enjoy one night with my betrothed...to bask in the warmth of your embrace, as is my right as your—"Her words died on her lips when Knox suddenly closed the distance and wrapped his hand around her slender throat in a grip, wrenching her forward until her feet left the ground. Then he slammed her head back against the stone wall with brutal force to crack her skull. Sirona let out a pained, wheezing laugh as she stared up at him with wild, unfocused eyes. A thin trickle of crimson seeped from the corner of her mouth, tracing a macabre path down her chin."You...you wouldn't dare..." she choked out
Knox felt as if the entire world had collapsed around him, with a devastating blast of despair and despair threatening to break what little remained of his damaged psyche into a million shattered fragments. The sheer, all-consuming agony that had lanced through him was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It that it defied description… as though every nerve ending in his immortal body had been set ablaze and doused in acid simultaneously.The air became heavy and oppressive as the full impact of what had happened started to sink in, and the cold stone of the dungeon walls seemed to close in around him.Knox simply couldn't - no, he utterly refused with every fiber of his being to accept the cruel reality that his worst fears had been realized in the most brutal and decisive way imaginable. Serena. His beautiful, precious mate...the very radiant light in his darkness...she was gone. Why? The question kept coming back to him, echoing through the vast emptiness of his head, e
The huge double doors to the dungeon at one of Knox's estates slid open, revealing his towering figure. An oppressive air accompanied him, making it feel as if the very atmosphere held its breath in his presence. Dark tendrils like mist swirled around him, and his eyes that was always cold, blazed with a fury that made them appear even icier than usual. His mind was still reeling from the hateful words Serena had hurled at him in the car earlier, and in a moment of desperation, he had teleported himself here.Knox despised himself for losing control and slapping Serena in a moment of anger. He couldn’t forgive himself, especially when the thought crossed his mind that perhaps Sirona had found a way to bypass his restraint meant to keep her in check, and had gotten into Serena’s mind. More than half of him believed the venomous words Serena had spoken weren't hers but were instead Sirona’s doing. This belief drove him to the dungeon, determined to confirm his theory.His eyes lan