Julian's pov
I watched the black sedan pull away, my chest tight. I had heard her mention the Belthazaars when she was drunk, and ever since, I had been quietly cleaning her path. Ihad blocked Sarah's attempt to file a formal complaint against her. I had scrubbed the office server of the footage of her "trance" in the lobby.
….
I didn't trust her—not yet—but I admired her. She worked with the grace of a queen while the Vultures tried to peck her eyes out. And God help me, I craved
I went back to my desk and opened the file my assistant had compiled on the Belthazaar Group. They were moving aggressively, buying up properties that surrounded Arya's apartment building. They were circling her. they didn't even have a reason—not a corporate one, anyway.
Arya's pov…
Monday morning at Vanguard Holdings was a battle of wills. Julian hadn't just moved me; he'd annexed me. My desk was now tucked into the corner of his sprawling executive suite, a literal stone's throw from his mahogany throne.
"What is this?" I demanded, my voice cracking with a childish, frustrated energy. I wasn't scared of his CEO title—my bloodline was older than his entire city—but his preferential treatment was suffocating. "Julian, you're making me a target! My colleagues outside are practically sharpening their claws!"
Julian didn't even look up, but the air in the room was heavy, thick with a Soul Pull that had shifted. He wasn't just observing me anymore; he was in love. It was a raw, human, all-consuming devotion that radiated off him in waves, making my own resolve crumble.
"The Belthazaars are circling the block, Arya," he rumbled, his voice dropping into that low, possessive register that made my skin itch. "You stay where I can see you. End of discussion."
"I hate you!" I snapped, throwing a total tantrum. I swept a stack of his "urgent" files off the desk, watching them flutter to the floor like wounded birds. I was a daughter of the Goodness Bloodline, and being coddled like a fragile human girl made my inner power roar in protest.
I stormed out, ignoring the way his gaze followed me—hungry, protective, and painfully sincere.
When I got home, the apartment was quiet, but the air felt old. Tessa was sitting on the sofa, but she wasn't alone.
Standing by the window was Doris. To anyone else, she looked like a pleasant, middle-aged woman, but I knew better. She had existed centuries before I was born. She had taken the form of a child when I did, growing alongside me on this strange planet, acting as my silent shadow.
"Elora," she said, her voice carrying a heavy, motherly affection that immediately bypassed my anger.
"Doris?" I whispered, my hazel eyes softening. I didn't need to hold back my power with her; she knew exactly what I was. I moved toward her, but she held up a hand, her expression etched with a sorrow that made my heart sink.
"The time for hiding in skyscrapers and drinking gin is over, little one," Doris sighed, stepping forward to cup my face. Her touch was cool, smelling of ancient earth and celestial light. "The Belthazaars are the least of your concerns now. Your Coming-of-Age is failing because your heart is tethered to a human who cannot follow where you must go."
She pulled out a scroll—not blackened or burnt, but glowing with a soft, undeniable divine resonance.
"Your mother summons you," Doris whispered. "The daughters of the Goodness Bloodline are being called back to Argathar. If you do not return with your Sacrificial Groom soon, they will come and pluck you from this world themselves. And they won't care if Julian Vance is caught in the crossfire."
I looked at the scroll, the weight of my mission slamming into me. I was stronger than any monster under Lucian Belthazaar's command, but I was powerless against the law of my own kind.
"I can't just leave him, Doris," I breathed, my mind flashing to Julian's face in the office—to the man who loved me so much he had built a cage to keep me safe.
"Then finish it," Doris urged, her eyes pleading. "Find the sacrifice. Or say goodbye. Because the heavens are tired of waiting."