Latest Chapter

• NOTICED

  Adam, the king, began to notice him. Not openly at first,only in the way a man notices a flicker at the edge of his vision. When other guards yawned or slouched, Carlos stood still as stone. When others spoke too much, Carlos’s silence was heavier than iron. And when Adam’s eyes swept across the hall, Carlos’s bow was not too deep, not too shallow, but perfectly measured—an unspoken declaration of control.and then It started with small tasks.“Guard the inner court tonight.”“Deliver this sealed letter to the chancellor.”“Stand watch during the council’s late meeting.”Things too insignificant for Xander or Dexter to bother with, but important enough to touch the king’s breath. And Carlos never failed. He never questioned. He executed each order with a precision that made Adam narrow his eyes in interest.During one stormy night, when rain battered the palace roofs and thunder rolled like war drums, the king grew restless. He demanded a hunt ,madness in such weather, but who could d

• DECADES EARLIER IN DECAROV

  Decades earlier in decarovThe palace was a world of its own. Dawn began not with birdsong but with the echo of boots striking polished stone. Guards lined the courtyard, armor glinting under the pale sun, spears raised high as though saluting the king who was still asleep in his chambers. The air always smelled faintly of oiled steel and burning torches. Silence was the law here silence and obedience.Carlos stood in their midst, a face among faces, a guard like any other. But his eyes told a different story. He bowed when Dexter shouted, he answered “Yes, Commander!” when ordered, yet inside, he carried fire one that never dimmed. Adam, the usurper, sat on the throne bought with Peter’s blood, and Carlos had come into the lion’s den not to serve but to destroy.Dexter, his commander, was iron given flesh. His voice carried like a whip, and his punishments were cruel. A guard late to duty was made to kneel for hours in the cold stone corridors. Another, caught dozing, had the flat of

• DISCOVERED

  The room was still when morning came, though Janette had not truly slept. She lay curled in the velvet quilt, weary of the man who kept vigil across the room. He had not closed his eyes once, not even when the fire hissed and died into coals. He sat in that chair like stone, only his thoughts moving. And all through the night his thoughts circled the same girl. Why? Why did the witches want her? She looked ordinary enough. A simple girl, delicate, innocent, too soft for the world she had stumbled into. And yet no ordinary girl drew the hunger of such dark creatures. No ordinary girl made his instincts stay sharp until dawn. He would find out. One way or another. When day broke pale and gray, there was a knock at the door. The husband and wife entered carrying a tray heavy with breakfast—steaming bread, thick broth, and goblets of honeyed wine. Their smiles were pleasant, too pleasant. Carlos’s eyes narrowed. He did not touch the tray. “Eat,” he said flatly, voice a quiet

• THE INN OF WHISPERS

  They left the ball beneath a sky that looked like spilled ink. Music and laughter still bled through the doors, but outside it was only stone, breath, and cold.Duke Humphrey stepped out with his cane and that tight smile he wore like perfume. “Leaving already?” he said, as if he owned the moon.Carlos didn’t smile. “My lady is not well,” he said, voice steady, soft, final.Humphrey’s eyes flicked to Janette, then back to Carlos. For a dangerous second he looked like he might protest, but something in Carlos’s gaze calm and deep and not entirely human scraped the words out of his throat. The duke stepped aside with a stiff bow. “Another night then.” “You have a lovely home,duke Humphrey “Janette bowedDuke Humphrey bowed” it is indeed my pleasure….lady” he hesitated trying to figure out her name“Janette”Janette said We will would take our leave “Carlos said and they went.The carriage rolled until the road decided to snap its own bones. Wood cracked. The wheel slumped. The driver c

• SHADOWS

  The violins had ceased their melody, leaving the air heavy with murmurs, clinking goblets, and the rustle of silks. Ariel moved swiftly, her hand clasping Janette’s, pulling her through the gilded crowd and into the marbled hallway beyond.Janette cast a nervous glance over her shoulder, her pulse quickening. He will not like this…“The King would not approve,” Janette whispered under her breath, her voice trembling.Ariel halted, turning to face her, eyes sharp with worry. “Why? Tell me, Janette. Is he hurting you?”The words struck like a dagger, cutting the air between them. Janette’s lips parted, her chest rising and falling fast. For a moment, the truth trembled on her tongue — the long nights, his watchful gaze, the way she felt like a bird in a gilded cage.But she swallowed it back. Her lashes lowered, and she shook her head. “No… I am fine.”Ariel did not believe her. She stepped closer, lowering her voice, fierce and tender all at once. “Then explain this to me. Your letter.

• DUKE’S BALL

  Carlos had chosen the gown himself — a sweeping emerald silk, its bodice drawn tight with whalebone stays, its skirts spilling like forest shadows. The corset bit cruelly, cinching Janette’s waist, and the maids pressed layer upon layer of petticoats beneath the gown. By the time they bound the final ribbons at her back, the mirror showed a woman unrecognizable to herself — regal, untouchable, her green eyes sharpened into fire by the gown’s hue.Janette touched the glass softly. “Why this dress?”Carlos stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on her reflection. “Because it matches your eyes. And tonight… everyone will see you as I do.”Far from the palace, Ariel chased Andrew carriage on foot when Andrew heard his name he demanded the coach man to stop the carriage .And she caught up to the carriage while heaving for breath with her hands trembling in her lap.“Please,” she whispered. “Let me come with you to the duke’s ball. I will be no trouble, I swear it.”Andrew raised a brow. “W