The silence in the estate is thick—unnatural. The moment I step through the front door, I sense it. Something is wrong.
The air hums with unease, pressing against my skin like a whisper of something unseen. My heels click against the marble floors, steady, deliberate, but I don't make it far before Elara comes rushing toward me.
Her face is pale, her expression tight with something bordering on fear.
I still. "What happened?"
She hesitates, wringing her hands together.
I step closer, voice turning sharp. "Elara."
Her lips part, but it takes a second before she speaks. And when she does, my blood turns to ice.
"It's about the playdate. Something… happened to Lily."
A slow, dangerous exhale leaves me. "Tell me everything."
Flashback – The Playdate
The afternoon sun spilled golden light over the garden, warm and bright. The sound of laughter rang through the air as Lily and Posie sat cross-legged on the grass, their dolls arranged in a semi-circle between them.
Elara stood by the terrace, keeping watch while pretending not to. She had seen Lilith's unspoken warnings—"Nothing unusual. Nothing supernatural." That was the rule.
And everything had been normal. Until it wasn't.
Lily had been laughing at something Posie said when she suddenly went still. Her small fingers loosened around her doll, her gaze turning distant.
Then—
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head,
A single, shallow breath.
And then she spoke.
But it wasn't her voice.
"The shadows wake where the blood moon wanes…
A throne bathed in ruin, a crown of remains…
Betrayed by the fangs of the one left unchained…
Marked by the curse of the lover who feigns…"
The words poured from her lips like something ancient, something lost to time itself. Her voice—eerily hollow, layered as if something else spoke through her.
The room had fallen deathly silent. Posie, confused and frightened, looked at Lily with wide eyes.
"Lily?" the little girl whispered.
But Lily didn't respond.
Her body trembled, and just as suddenly as it began, the trance broke. She blinked rapidly, looking around in confusion.
"What happened?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Elara was already by her side, kneeling. "You're okay, sweetheart," she said, brushing Lily's hair back.
Posie shifted uncomfortably. "That was weird," she muttered.
Elara quickly forced out a light chuckle, masking the concern gnawing at her. "Lily just got too into the game," she said smoothly. "Right, Lily?"
Lily nodded hesitantly, but there was uncertainty in her eyes.
Elara turned to Posie, plastering on an easy smile. "Why don't we get some cookies from the kitchen? Would you like that?"
Posie perked up at the mention of sweets, completely forgetting the strange moment.
Crisis averted. For now.
Present
processed every word, the weight of them sinking into my bones.
Lily had spoken prophecy. And the meaning… the deer will bleed.
Realization struck me hard and fast.
Lily wasn't just some human child.
She was a deer shifter.
The revelation made something coil tightly in my chest. Deer shifters were rare—so rare that they were almost extinct. They were creatures of purity, untouched by violence, often hunted for the potency of their blood. Their abilities were coveted, their mere existence a secret kept from the world.
And Lily…
She was one of them.
I exhaled sharply, pushing the revelation to the back of my mind. There would be time to investigate this further. For now, I needed to handle the situation at hand.
I turned my gaze back to Elara. "How did you handle Posie after that?"
Elara straightened. "I made sure she thought it was all part of their game. Played it off like nothing strange happened." She hesitated before adding, "But we need to be careful, Lilith. If Lily has these… episodes often, someone else is going to notice."
I nodded once, my mind already working through the possibilities.
"Good. Keep an eye on her. And don't mention this to anyone."
Elara gave a firm nod. "Understood."
But I barely heard her anymore.
My thoughts had already shifted—to Robin, as the realization of the trap I knew he had laid for me.
And to the fact that he had no idea I was about to turn it against him. It all made sense now. I knew something was fishy about him. I knew it.
The Meeting – A Poisoned Promise
The restaurant is upscale, low-lit, and humming with quiet conversation. I chose this place on purpose—neutral ground, where neither Robin nor I would hold an advantage.
He's already waiting when I arrive, lounging in a booth with the easy arrogance of a man who thinks he holds all the cards.
He doesn't.
I settle into the seat across from him, crossing my legs.
"Lilith," he greets, smirking. "A pleasure."
I don't smile. Instead, I slide a glass of wine toward him. "Drink."
His brows lift, amusement flickering across his face. "Straight to business, then?"
"Drink," I repeat, voice smooth, lethal.
He eyes me for a long moment before lifting the glass to his lips. He takes a slow sip, setting it down with a lazy grin.
And then—
His fingers tremble. His breath catches.
I watch, impassive, as his smirk falters. The poison is already working, slow but merciless, sinking into his bloodstream like ice.
His eyes snap to mine, the first flicker of real fear surfacing. "What—"
"Aconite," I say softly, tilting my head. "You should start feeling it now—the tightening in your chest, the heat in your veins."
His jaw clenches, and he grips the table, struggling to stay composed. "You—"
I pull out a small vial, setting it between us. The antidote.
His gaze locks onto it. Desperate.
I lean forward, voice like silk. "You were going to kill me, weren't you, Robin? You wanted to get me through Celeste. That was why you got close to her yes?"
He doesn't answer. He can't.
I take my time, swirling my own drink as I continue. "Sienna sent you, didn't she? To lure me into a trap. But unfortunately for you, Robin…" I smile, dark and cold. "You walked into mine first."
His breathing is ragged now, muscles tensed against the poison.
"Here's how this goes," I say. "You work for me now. You feed Sienna false information. You tell her exactly what I want her to hear. And in return?" I tap the vial. "You live."
A long, excruciating silence.
Then—he nods, jerky, frantic. "Fine," he grits out.
I slide the antidote toward him. He snatches it up, hands shaking, and downs it in a single swallow.
Relief washes over his face. But beneath it, I see something else.
Fear.
Good.
I stand, smoothing out my coat. "Welcome to my side, Robin."
And without another word, I walk away.
A New Target
The city is alive with neon and movement as I drive home, my mind already spinning through the next steps.
Kade is already on my list. But now?
Now, Sienna is added to it.
She thought she could use Robin to outmaneuver me.
She thought wrong.
I pull out my phone and dial Celeste.
She answers immediately. "Lilith?"
"We need to talk."
A pause. Then, "About what?"
My lips curve into a slow, merciless smile.
"Bringing Sienna to her knees."
The call ends. The night stretches ahead of me, filled with plans, with possibilities.
And as I step into my house, I know—
This war is just beginning.