4
MAX
Gazing upward, I take in the tall black walls, down to the glassy obsidian floors. The smell of ash, spice, and incense hangs thickly in the air like the red haze that obscures the background.
The Shadowlands.I’m home.
Relief hits me, strong and fast like a riptide, as I fight against the sudden onslaught of tears.Home. A place that once felt foreign has become my safety in tough storms. I fell in love with a prince here—and also tried to stab him repeatedly for his arrogance and secrecy.
Smiling, my hands grab my silken red dress—the one I wore for my first night debuting to the Dark Court. With thick golden braids cutting across my torso, and a long slip so the fabric flutters along each step, I bask at the familiarity—thecomfortof it all.
Holding to the wall, I step inside. Long-deceased ancestors in silver frames line the grand entrance, while the dome above is opaque and covered in black vines. They stretch far, blocking out what would be a sun—if the sun shone in the Shadowlands. Instead, everything flickers to life in the crimson.
Candles grace silver candelabras, dripping pale wax onto thefloor. It’s hot in here, dry, acidic, and I can’t help but smile. It feels right.
One thing bothers me. There’s no noise. No simple chatter of maids passing by, no laughs from Dark Fae courtiers or the giggle of ladies vying for someone’s attention. It’s silent.
“Kaden!” I shout. My steps echo as I make my way to the grand staircase. Long curved railings, exquisitely carved from black granite by skilled hands, my fingers trail over their coolness. Pausing, I listen as my voice drifts through the abandoned halls and shout again.
Where is he?If I’m home, then he must be here.
I’m almost to the top before a shimmer of black catches my eye. Tripping, I’m startled and hold firm before I careen over the side. An image slowly appears from nothing. It’s the faintest outline of…someone. A woman, perhaps?
It’s hard to tell. A long black veil covers her face and body, encasing her into this ball of thick tulle and lace. It’s too heavy for the Shadowlands, too grand and yet, it clings to her like a second skin. My eyes look upward, my mouth parting as I see a red crown on her skull.
Not just any crown. With spikes and a wide band, it drips red on to the black. It’s spilling down like melted wax, falling with thick drops onto her shoulders.
I hold my breath at the macabre vision. Is she friend or foe? I’ve never noticed her at the Black Palace before—she’d clearly stick out.
Does Kaden know her? Is he here? Did she harm him?
Where are Fee and Reid?They should be here.
I don’t wait to find out. Raising my hand, I listen to the call of blood coursing through her body and exhale. Red rises to my second knuckle, but I don’t pull. Not yet. “Where is he?”
The woman tilts her head as if studying me. She didn’t expect me to speak, and it seems she never expected another person here.
Her gaze burns like a poker fresh from the fire as she looks to my bare feet, up my legs, over my torso, to the gem at my throat that shines beside my scar, to my eyes. I can’t see it, but I feel her them narrow, drilling into me as if she can assess what I am.
I’m a threat to her.I’m not sure how I know. But she sees me as an enemy.
“Whoareyou?” The words slither through my ears and I cringe, wincing against the pain. It’s a serpent striking true and I cover my ears.
“I am Maximillia, Dark Queen?—”
“Whoareyou?” she screams again and I fall to my knees, shouting against the pain. Her voice claws at my ears as surely as any beast.
Red drops splattered on the black floor pull my attention.She drew blood.
Anger floods my gut. This woman, who has no business inmyhome, drewmyblood. Standing straighter, I grip the railing for support and raise one hand.
“You’re first mistake was entering my home. The second, was thinking you could hurt a queen.” My voice booms around us.
The woman stills, frozen.
My fingers twist and bend. The magic comes to me—too easily, as if there are no barriers—and I hold it ready.
“Tell me who you are and where my mate is,” I say, “or I’ll rip out your heart and crush it under my heel.”
