er of dawn painted the sky a bruised purple. Today. The day of the Grand Healing C

hadn't realized how much blood I had lost, how much had seeped throug

often slipped me extra food when Kane wasn't looking. Her eyes widened, her hand flyi

pered, her voice trembling. "Y

e burst past her. It was Cora. My little girl, her face str

let's go! Let's run away! I don't want to stay here anymo

unbroken by this darkness. She still fought. But

girl," I whispered, my voice rough with emoti

eyes shining with desperate hope. "We can go back to Ser

Judson. My mentor, my rock. He

mor in my hands. "Listen to Mommy. You have t

uld trust to protect her, to give her a future. I

mind. "When you're older, I want you to watch him. Watch Kane. Watch what happens to him. He wi

d remember. She was perceptive, intelligent. She wou

ora, my beautiful, bright Cora, would be safe. I would ensure she received what was rightfu

down her cheeks. Cora clung to me, but they gently pried her away, promising her that Mommy was

rcular altar, crudely constructed from raw timber and draped in dark cloths, dominated the center of the room. It loo

asn't just symbolic. This

far from a dying woman. Her hand was intertwined with his, their fingers locked together. Th

ork?" Francesca asked, her voice li

ll be completely cured. You'll live a long, beautiful life with me. I promise. N

my darling. You'll make sure no one ever hurts me

possessive intensity. "You are mine. And I will burn

is men. "Place h

head resting on a block of stone. My eyes swept across the faces in the room. Kane, F

day. The vows we exchanged. "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse,

e dust. He had broken every single one. And in this moment, looking at him, a flicker of something new ignited w