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They didn't rest that night.
After the wraith attack, the forest felt more alive than ever—watching, whispering, remembering. Lucian's wolves took shifts guarding the perimeter while Selene cast protective sigils in a wide circle around their camp. Sophia lay by the fire, her body trembling from the partial growth of her wings. The pain was deep, raw—like her bones were reshaping under her skin.
Lucian stayed close, though he kept his distance, torn between his desire to hold her and his fear of pushing her too far, too fast.
Selene knelt beside Sophia with a bowl of dark liquid. "This will numb the pain. Somewhat."
Sophia drank it without hesitation, her eyes fluttering shut. "Why does it feel like I'm dying and being born all at once?"
"Because that's exactly what's happening," Selene replied gently. "You're awakening into what you were always meant to be. The land knows you. The blood in your veins carries the memory of the goddess who once ruled both realms."
Lucian turned sharply toward Selene. "What do you mean both realms?"
Selene met his gaze. "The fae and the vampire kingdoms were once united. By blood. By a queen who was fae in power but vampire by bond. Sophia's ancestor."
Sophia stirred. "My mother…?"
Selene hesitated. "Your mother carried the last piece of that ancient magic. When she fled to the human world, she severed your connection to it—to protect you. But now it returns. In you. Fully awakened, you'll wield power neither kingdom has seen in over a thousand years."
Lucian's jaw clenched. "That's why the curses are waking. Why the portals open on their own. Why the fae and vampire councils want her controlled."
"And why," Selene added, "they'll kill to keep her from the throne."
A heavy silence settled over the camp.
Then Lucian moved, drawing his blade and slicing a shallow cut into his palm. He reached for Sophia's hand and pressed it against his. "Then we make an oath. By blood and bone. I vow to protect you, Sophia, from all who seek to claim you—until death, or until you wear the crown meant for you."
Sophia looked into his eyes—stormy and unwavering—and nodded. "Then I vow to never run again. To trust you. To claim who I am, even if I'm terrified of it."
Their blood mingled, and the flames around them flared in a burst of violet light.
Selene smiled faintly. "So it begins."
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