2022-06-23 18:42:57
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PEAK
Andrew had not slept since the night of the ball.Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was Janette’s face—pale, stiff, forced into a smile she did not mean.And Carlos beside her… watching her like something he owned.Andrew had always been careful. Calculated. But this time?This time, he was desperate.No one else seemed to see the danger.He had gone to Helen—twice.Then a third time.And a fourth.Each time she dismissed him with the same calm, clipped tone:“Be careful, Andrew. The king is not to be challenged. Let this matter rest.”But how could he?He knew Janette.He saw the fear she tried so hard to bury.He saw the way the king moved around her—too close, too controlling, too… dangerous.So Andrew did the one thing he promised himself he would only do in absolute emergency:He called in a debt.A life-debt.Her name was Mara.A maiden he once rescued during a border ambush—young, silent, clever, a shadow with legs.She owed him her life, and Andrew never intended to co
Continuation after the ride
The rest of the journey was painfully quiet.Janette kept her eyes on the window, pretending to admire passing trees, but Carlos knew she was simply avoiding his gaze. She was shaken—more than shaken—yet holding herself together with that stubborn calm she always tried to mask herself with.Carlos, on the other hand, wasn’t hiding anything. He sat relaxed, one arm rested casually against the seat, studying her without shame or hesitation. His crimson eyes seemed to see through everything,skin, flesh, fear, and secrets.Every time Janette shifted, he followed the movement with lazy attention, as if memorizing her reactions one by one.When the carriage finally rolled into the palace courtyard, Janette exhaled deeply, relieved to be home. Carlos had noticed; of course he did.Evans rushed forward to open the carriage door, bowing.“Your Majesty… my lady.”Janette stepped out quickly. Carlos took his time, as though he had nowhere to be. When he finally stepped down, he leaned slightly t
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
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
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