The forest still echoed with chaos. Smoke coiled through the trees like serpents, thick with the scent of scorched magic and spilled blood. But in the center of the wreckage, Aurelia stood—half in shock, half in power.
She didn't flinch when Seraphine stepped closer again, her silver eyes burning with approval. "You've only scratched the surface, little wolf," the vampire queen whispered. "But it's a start."
Tessa hovered protectively behind Aurelia, eyes flicking between Rowan, bleeding but standing, and Lucien, now in human form and clutching his side. Riven's shadows slithered in warning, ready to strike. Caelum stood at the edge, untouched and unreadable.
Aurelia's heart pounded in her chest, the echo of ancient energy still pulsing beneath her skin. She barely recognized herself. Her legs shook, her hands were scraped raw, but something inside her had changed. Permanently.
"You need to leave," Rowan snarled at Seraphine, blood staining his jaw. "Before I end you."
Seraphine just chuckled. "End me? Oh, puppy. You couldn't even end my temper."
"Try me," Lucien growled, stepping beside his brother, blade gleaming.
But Seraphine wasn't watching them anymore. Her gaze had returned to Aurelia. "I'll see you again, princess. Sooner than you think."
And with a spin of her cloak, she vanished—dust and moonlight swirling in her wake.
Caelum smirked. "Dramatic, as always."
He turned to Aurelia and offered her a hand. She didn't take it. His eyes glinted with curiosity. "That power—it suits you, Rea."
At the nickname, Lucien tensed. Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"Don't call her that," Rowan hissed.
"I'll call her what I please. She's not yours." Caelum's voice was silk, but the threat laced beneath it was venom.
Riven stepped between them. "Back off, Vire."
"Or what, shadow boy?"
"You'll find out," Riven promised darkly.
"Aurelia," Tessa whispered urgently, tugging at her. "We need to go. You're injured. You need rest."
But Aurelia didn't move.
She stared at the place where Seraphine had stood. At the vines and scorched earth. At her trembling fingers that had summoned an ancient power she didn't even understand.
"I felt her inside my head," she murmured. "She knew things. About me. About before."
Rowan stepped closer, jaw clenched. "We'll figure it out. You're safe now."
"Am I?" she asked softly.
The question silenced them all.
They returned to the Nightbloom estate under a blanket of unnatural fog. The guards said nothing when they saw the state of the group—the blood, the torn clothes, the half-dead glint in Lucien's eyes.
The Duke stood at the top of the grand stairs as they entered. Arms crossed. Eyes furious.
"You disobeyed direct orders," he growled to his sons. "And you—" his gaze landed on Aurelia—"you left this house without protection."
Aurelia opened her mouth, but Rowan cut in. "It was my fault. I saw her leave and followed. I didn't warn you in time."
Lucien added, "We couldn't risk her being alone."
The Duke didn't look convinced. "And did she tell you where she was going?"
Silence.
"She was searching for something," Riven said suddenly, voice low. "And she found it."
Aurelia's eyes snapped to his. Was he… protecting her?
The Duke's voice was a blade. "You're forbidden from leaving these grounds until I say otherwise. Do you understand?"
Aurelia stared at him. Her heart still burned with the memory of her power, the feel of it crackling in her veins.
But she nodded. "Yes, Father."
He turned to Tessa. "Get her cleaned up. Keep her in her chambers. No visitors. Not even her brothers."
"But—" Rowan protested.
"Not. Even. Them."
Tessa dipped into a low bow. "As you wish, Your Grace."
And with that, the Duke stormed off into the halls, rage cloaked in velvet authority.
Later that night, Aurelia sat by her window, dressed in white silk, bruises dotting her pale skin. Tessa stood at her side, brushing her hair in silence.
"You're thinking about him," Tessa said quietly.
"Which one?" Aurelia asked bitterly.
Tessa's lips twitched. "The one who saved you."
Aurelia said nothing.
"He's dangerous."
"I know."
"Then why do you crave him?"
Aurelia turned in her chair, meeting her maid's gaze. "Because when I looked into his eyes… I didn't feel lost. I felt found."
Tessa's hand stilled. "Ori, that boy isn't like the others. He wasn't born of night. He was forged in hell."
"Then maybe that's what I need," Aurelia whispered. "Something strong enough to burn away the lies."
Outside her window, unseen by all, Caelum stood beneath a dying tree. Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere deeper in the estate, Riven sat in the dark, gripping the edge of his bed.
"She's slipping through my fingers," he murmured.
From the shadows, a voice replied.
"Then take her back… before it's too late."
End of Chapter 27