Many whispered that Lenora Hawthorne was nothing more than an unassuming girl-a shadow among the ambitious and cunning. But those who truly knew her understood the truth: Lenora was no innocent. She had forged her path in darkness, her allegiance bo...
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A FULL DAY HAD PASSED WITHOUT MY BROTHER. That never happened. But everything changed when he took him.
Lance was always seen as weak—a lost cause, an innocent soul. Nothing like me. But he didn't deserve to be in that house, to be tortured, to be used as entertainment. He was a person, not some monster.
I had to get him back.
The familiar sting burned against my forearm. Not painful, just irritating. A reminder.
Maybe he wanted it that way.
Riddle.
God, how I hated him. He thrived on others' suffering. Relished it. But never his own.
Saying I wanted him dead would be an understatement.
I needed him dead. And I wanted to be the one to do it.
A sharp knock at my door jolted me from my thoughts. It was hard, impatient.
I already knew who it was.
And just like that, my hatred came flooding back.
I swung open the door, scowling.
Mattheo Riddle stood there, staring at me with that same unreadable expression.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
He barely acknowledged my irritation, his fingers curling around my wrist. "Have you not felt the stinging on your arm?"
I jerked against his grip. "I have. Now let go."
"If you had half a brain, you'd know what it means." His voice was slow, condescending. "When I call, you come. I am your Lord, and you—"
"I don't serve you," I spat.
His grip tightened. "You listen when you're called."
"Fuck—fine! Just let go!"
He didn't. He only loosened his hold slightly before pulling me down the hallway.
"Why do you need me?" I demanded.
"It's not your place to ask questions."
"Then I won't listen."
His jaw twitched. "Fine," he muttered, his voice dropping. "My father knows about your little wolf curse. And we both know you have access to magic no other witch or wizard understands. Black magic."
A cold weight settled in my stomach, but I kept my face blank. "And?"
His dark eyes flicked to mine. "How do you think I know, Hawthorne?"
"Are you ever going to just answer a question?"
His lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smirk. "You should be more worried about your brother."
