The sun hadn't risen, but the world was already burning.
Charles stood at the edge of the marble balcony, shirtless, sweat trailing down his chest in rivulets despite the biting cold. The mountain air from the Carpathian hills sliced through the pre-dawn darkness, but he didn't flinch. His body had changed—strengthened beyond human limits. His thoughts, however, remained trapped in the labyrinth of the night before.
Nylara's lips still lingered on his neck like a brand. Not just any kiss—her bite. The vampire heiress hadn't just marked him. She'd claimed him in ways that transcended the physical, binding them through blood and something far more ancient.
