Awake

I am the monster they warn children about.

For a century, I have guarded her sleep—rewriting forbidden magic, bathing her in ritual, staining my claws with blood to keep her breathing. I did not take her to cage her. I took her to save her. But devotion curdles when fate interferes. The bond between us tightens with every passing year, demanding more than vigilance, more than restraint. If I wake her, I may lose her forever. If I don’t, she will die. Either way, I will burn.

I am the princess they seek to save.

I remember everything—the dark, his hands, his voice, the dragon who claimed me while I slept. They say I was cursed. They say I was spared. Now fire coils beneath my skin, desire tangles with rage, and the bond between us refuses to be denied. No prince will save me. No ending will be gentle. Whatever I choose next will be mine—and the monster who loves me may not survive it.