It’s not what it should be.
Her other men carry clear symbols—simple, strong, direct. I’ve seen them many times because they love to display them, so proud of their Nexus and the marks they bear.
But mine—it begins as a crown, glowing gold under my skin, carved in flawless ancient lines.
Then—
CRACK.
A jagged fissure splits it down the center.
The broken crown pulses—once, twice—syncing perfectly with her heartbeat.
My pulse stumbled, and a choked laugh escaped me—broken, humorless, and terrified.
“Of course,” I whisper. “Of course it would be this.”
A crown.
A broken one.
A symbol of a throne that is no more.
A curse I was never meant to be a part of.
A bond I was never meant to share.
It shouldn’t have happened. No heir had ever marked someone outside their Faction… and survived.
I shouldn’t have stayed this long, letting my curiosity about the prophecy guide my decisions. I’d only wanted to witness what she was becoming.
The crack burned brighter, like a warning.
“I can’t stay,” I breathed.
The mark pulsed again— a white-hot throb that burned my flesh. I pressed my hand over it, fingers trembling violently.
“I can’t stay near her. I’ll ruin her. I’ll destroy everything… and part of me craves that pleasure.” I gasped in panic.
And for the first time in years—not because of what was done to me, not because of my brother’s cruelty, not because Ubel and Selene had twisted me into something unrecognizable?—
But because I cared—I felt fear.
Cold.
Real.
I staggered to my feet. “I have to leave before they see this.”
The crack pulsed again.
I shudder. And then I run.
Chapter 28
Reverie
Tanya waits just inside the narrow passageway when I return—arms folded gently, eyes soft, the crystal above casting lavender light across her dark hair.
