After Kieran had passed out, there wasn’t much more we could do. It was late, and if we had any chance of getting the ingredients for the spell, Malrik had to leave.
Once the wards were strengthened, they would know someone from this realm crossing through the barriers isn’t from here. He said not to worry about him, he’s done it plenty of times without being detected, and I believe him.
He managed to watch me for weeks without me noticing. Believe me, when you’ve been on the run for so long, feeling someone’s presence should be easy.
Malrik kissed me breathlessly, not caring who was watching, winked at Ronan and then whispered a reminder of the last ingredient that I had to get.
It would be a suicide mission; it made me feel sick to my stomach because to do this, I would need their help.
Now I stood in front of the mirror in my room early in the morning, dressed in nothing but black lace underwear, my fingers tracing the scars etched into my skin. The deep bite mark on my shoulder stood out the most—a permanent reminder of the night a vampire tried to drain me when I was fifteen. My mother was still alive then. We were ambushed, one of the rare times they got close enough to strike. He wanted a taste, to see if my blood would make him stronger.
I could still remember the pain, the way his fangs tore into me like fire ripping through my veins. But before he could drain me, a shadow demon ripped the bastard’s heart out with his mind.
I never got the chance to thank him—or even look at him properly, to really see who he was.
Turning slightly, I ran my fingers down my spine, feeling the ink that had become a part of me, woven into my very being.
My tattoo was a masterpiece of shadows and silver, an intricate blend of deep blues and inky black. At the nape of my neck sat a small crescent moon, its edges faintly glowing like silver caught in candlelight. Below it, sleek tendrils of flowing smoke curled downward, tapering into sharp, curved points that mimicked feathered wings—angelic in shape, but dark and untamed, like something meant to fly beyond the heavens. The further down it went, the design became more chaotic, with tendrils twisting and weaving like living shadows until they formed a single, clouded keyhole at the base of my spine.
“Shit, sorry.”
I glanced up, catching Ronan’s reflection. His black hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction, and somehow, his blue eyes looked even brighter in the dim morning light.
He had the kind of face that always looked like it was up to something—mischief or trouble, maybe both.
I turned to face him, making zero effort to cover up. It was my body—he could deal with it. And from the way his eyes dragged over me, slowly and unbothered, he didn’t seem particularly inclined to complain.
Love the blush on his cheeks, though.
“You’re up early,” I said, arching a brow.
“Yeah,” he cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Kieran snores.”
I laughed, shaking my head as he wandered further into the room.
“I’m sure you snore too,” I said, eyeing him with mock judgment.
“Probably,” he shrugged. “But it doesn’t keep me up, so it's not my problem.”
“Selfish.”
He gave me that once over now he was closer—slow, unapologetic—and for a second, something unreadable flickered in his eyes before he met mine again. The way he looked at me made something buzz low in my stomach.
This man should have killed me, or at the very least turned me in for what I’m hiding. But he didn’t. He saved me. He saved Xarothar, too.
And that? That was something I didn’t know what to do with.
“You’re staring, Ronan,” I tilted my head, keeping my tone light.
“That so? Funny—I was just about to say the same about you.”
I bit back a grin. “You walked into my room uninvited. I think I’m allowed to look.”
He took a step closer, voice dropping into something that slid right down my spine. “And you’re standing there in lace, Cherry. I think I’m allowed to enjoy the view.”
I scoffed but held my ground. “Careful, Ronan. Keep that up and I'll start to think you actually like me.”
By the stars, I might like him. But I can't tell him that.
