The morning after the tower of roses and fireflies felt like stepping into a dream she had never dared to dream. Nerine woke with the faint glow of the heart-shaped pendant pressing coldly against her chest. The chain was delicate, silver as moonlight, but the tiny glass heart burned with a drop of red. His blood, she realized—the gift he had sealed upon her last night.
Her fingers traced it as she lay in the silks, sunlight spilling faintly through the curtains. For the first time in years, her lips carried the ghost of a smile. She felt changed. Loved. Protected. Wanted.
Kael had been gone when the servants entered to draw the curtains and bring her water. No explanation, no word. And though she was learning his ways—the man of shadows who moved as though the world itself answered to him—her heart still ached with worry.
In the royal castle, Kael Blackthorn stood before the King's throne. Crimson eyes glowed in the firelight, steady and unyielding.
