Bound by fate and fire

pte

lin

began. His gaze locked onto mine, unwavering, as he made his way toward

y best friend. She's probably somewhere in the crowd, shoving her tongue do

. As if compelled by an unsee

hypnotic, a siren's call. His golden eyes he

name?" A small smirk pla

to one, and for a moment, I forgot mysel

exis wasn't a man to play around with. "Mercy, where are you?" I needed her. She would know what to say, what

I had ever seen, looked every bit like a walking goddess of temptation. And I

my face. "What happ-" Her voice trailed off, her expres

. Alexis. Grabbing her hand, I whispered

y tightened her grip on my hand,

t resist one last glance at Alexis-the stranger wh

his eyes... They held a promise. A

red, dropping my bag onto the be

azed, clearly stuck on the impossibly

e to life," she breathed,

l about her feelings, while I... I was the opposite-always trapped in

e barely talked. Bu

ike this? It wasn't like ho

yway, tonight was fun. Let's bathe then get some

xis

that lingered. She looked like sin and purity entwined, ey

is long life of mine, since I'

nd effortlessly. My Adeline.

before Rufus, my most tru

my l

er. "I need you to find someone

s. I want to know who she

t nod before quietly leaving the r

houghts now, but they

t I could feel it, pulling, tightening. Would

o

ting. And those eyes... they had spoken

ence into the darkness. And she was just that, too innocent,

tness of her features, those angelic blue

Then, without another glance back, I stepped out of the

going to be

ting gracefully, looking as young and flawless as ev

uty marred only by the unmistakable disdain in he

settling on her. "Emilia

se, as she rose to her fe

raising her hand to cup my cheek-just as

the weight of an ancient prayer. The pra

rs, I greet you, child of my es

through my veins. My blood stirre

d, shimmered and rippled lik

don't want to hea

reject your heritage. Your father is nearing the time of his ascension t

me?" I scoffed. "You threw me out when I was barely a chi

the weight of the moment had

n with power beyond our understanding. I was wrong to tre

ce was quiet, yet laced with a command so absolute t

My dear old father is retiring to the veil of eternity, the resting place

ly, a being with power so unnatural that

And yet, as I looked at her, I felt nothing. No warmth, no longing. Just the cold, hollow absence of emoti

ting through the space between us. "You

h the force of my authority. She knew better

a final glance at them bot

, le

d my eyes, t

gered-the unmistakable trace left

ngs fertile, a scent that spoke of life

of beauty so delicate it could d

elf into the chair, shu

nking into a trance-like state,