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October 17 - October 23, 2025
Souls had colors of all different shades, and being a Fey meant she could see them if her skin touched theirs.
Ten years ago Rory watched through a window as her sister was brutally murdered, setting in motion Rory’s path to becoming one of the most prolific serial killers in all of Erdikoa.
Most of her clothes were black, white, or grey, because they matched each other no matter what, and because of that, it made owning a dozen black hoodies and leggings seem normal.
Same girl.
Bane summoned her sister into an alley across from their apartment, and before Rory realized what was happening, he pinned her to the wall, clamped his hand over her mouth, and stabbed her in the heart.
The man with the jar was a Merrow, and he’d just captured her sister’s soul.
She approached the man and smiled, but the moment she was in front of him, her breath caught. Something was off, and anytime she felt this way, it meant a black soul was near.
“It’s him.” On the floor at her feet was the Merrow who stole Cora’s soul.
She had to find Bane, whoever he was, get her sister’s soul back, and send him to hell.
He knew they were only dreams, but the anxiety, and sometimes fear, he felt was real. This time it was an all-consuming rage he couldn’t shake, and he wanted nothing more than to shatter everything in sight.
If only people knew the evil Umbra King was shaken to his core by a few bad dreams.
“Listen to me Aurora, do not let him fool you; his darkness is poison. Only the golden child can save you.”
“She’s not supposed to be there. He’s bright because his darkness hides.” Her eyes locked on Cora. “You shouldn’t be there!”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be rid of me soon enough. My soul is as black as theirs were, and I’ll meet them in hell soon enough.”
Caius, the Umbra King, who controlled shadows.
“Your soul is a beautiful shade of grey, Miss Raven. I will see you soon enough.”
Except for Caius. Adila couldn’t leave the prison realm without a ruler, could she? Since
he was a Royal, his little sister couldn’t see the color of Caius’ soul, but she felt it all the same and graciously spared him from an eternity with Orcus.
His bright golden eyes stared her down, and when he was close enough for her to see his terrifyingly beautiful face, she stepped back in horror. It couldn’t be.
She didn’t know much about the notorious Umbra King, but what she did know was ten years ago she watched him murder her sister.
I knew it!
“Miss Raven has not only taken a life; she has taken thirteen.”
“Yes,” he said in the deepest voice she had ever heard. “I prefer Sam.” Did he expect her to call him by such a casual name? She would be too busy shitting her pants in his presence to call him anything at all.
“You no longer have privacy. Welcome to Vincula.”
His curiosity about Aurora Raven led him here against his own protests.
Aurora Raven would be his greatest temptation.
“She became her own version of the Scales of Justice,”
He had to find it. For his own sanity.
If they wanted a villain, she would give them one.
His presence irritated her, but despite the hostility in the air, they had a sort of familiarity, and it unsettled her more than anything.
It was the day The Butcher was born.
Rory smiled to herself at his dismissal of Nina.
“I must admit, Miss Raven, I enjoy seeing you on your knees.” His pupils flared.
She didn’t want redemption. She wanted retribution.
“At least you’re a hot fifty-one-year-old. Gives a whole new meaning to the age-gap kink.”
😂
“While I am sure you were dreaming of taking my cock into that smart little mouth of yours, I would prefer it if you acted it out for the class.”
Caius stared at his office door. What made you think the cock was yours?
Caius didn’t scare easily, but when an oversized pigeon snuck up behind someone, even the bravest of men would yelp the way he did.
Her eyes flicked to Caius, who was watching her instead of the new arrival. Shadows cloaked her, and while they weren’t dark enough to prevent her from seeing, they were dark enough the others wouldn’t notice her. He helped her.
“It does to you.”
am not the heartless man you believe me to be. Your mother should not suffer for your transgressions.”
“Walk with me,” he said, releasing the shadows surrounding her.
There will always be someone who thinks of me as their villain. The least I can do is be a damn good one.” She looked at him. “Everyone loves to hate the villain, including you.”
he leaned down so his lips grazed her ear. “Then I’ll be a damn good one.”
One thing was certain, she wouldn’t leave Vincula alive.
“I don’t know what your dress looks like, but I already want to fuck you in it,” Cat offered.
😂
Sam always liked Adila, but something about her treatment of Caius at his trial rubbed him the wrong way.
If she was jealous, then despite her trying to seduce him on purpose, she wanted him, and if she wanted him, he would take her.
It was never Bellina leaving her food—it was Caius.
The more she thought back to the day of her sister’s murder, the more she noticed subtle differences between Caius and Bane. Their faces were the same, but their walk was different. Bane didn’t wear rings, and his suit was light, not black. Then there was the problem of her
seeing Caius in color, but not Bane.
He left, and his cryptic comment hung over Caius like a guillotine.
