Page 70 of Haunted Crowns
For the first time, Eris’s gaze flickered. She blinked, and the wind died. The flames steadied as the chamber exhaled. Whatever had come slipped away.
Silence clung to the room, suffocating.
Yori’s voice wavered. "What was that?"
Raphael’s silver gaze fixed on Eris, unreadable. His fingers twitched at his sides.
"Dark magic," he answered, then crossed the space with measured precision and his hand closed around Eris’s shoulder, a silent claim of control.
"This is even worse than I imagined. How long has this presence been possessing you?"
Eris stiffened. "I am not being possessed." The words came quick, cutting off the accusation before it could take root. "This presence has been whispering to me," she said, drawing a breath, "showing me things. Protecting me." Eris’s eyes locked on Raphael. "And you know who she is."
The chamber went silent. Raphael ripped his hand away from Eris’s shoulder as if burned, his face twisting between rage and fear.
"Do not speak that name," he growled.
Across the room, Yori gripped the windowsill, his knuckles white. His voice came hollow as he whispered a name that felt like a ghost. "Seraphina."
The moment the name left Yori’s lips, Raphael sank into his chair as if struck. His breath came ragged as he raked a hand through his silver-streaked hair. "After all these years…she still haunts us. A curse upon this family."
A silence thick as smoke settled over the chamber. Eris did not move.
Yori crossed the room and placed both hands on her shoulders, firm yet gentle, his eyes searching her face forsomething only she could answer. His voice was low, laced with quiet urgency. "What does Seraphina want from you?"
Eris’s throat tightened, but she did not waver.
"She showed me the way," Eris said. "She and the spirits have revealed what must be done to end this war, to bring peace to our fractured world. I must finish what Seraphina was never allowed to."
Yori’s hands tensed, his grip tightening in trepidation. His voice came hoarse, barely a whisper. "That is a dangerous path, Eris."
She nodded. "I know."
The spirits had shown her—the visions, the warnings, the blood cost—but she was not afraid. She would not turn away from destiny.
Raphael exhaled sharply and pushed away from the table. A bitter chuckle escaped him, his silver eyes burning with resentment, fury, and something dangerously close to despair.
"Then it’s over," he said. "It’s done. Seraphina’s curse has come full circle, and now, our family will crumble beneath it. The Dragovs. The Firstbloods. Everything."
Eris’s eyes flashed. "You are wrong."
Raphael turned, his gaze ruthless. "Am I?"
Eris straightened. "Seraphina’s message was never about destruction. She sought harmony, balance, peace between factions. She never wanted to destroy our family—she wanted to save it."
Raphael scoffed. "Save it?" His voice turned sharper. "Seraphina was a fool. A visionary blinded by impossible dreams. And for that, she brought nothing but shame upon this house."
Eris’s breath hitched, her eyes darkening. "That is a lie. A twisted truth you have clung to for generations."
Raphael’s expression hardened. "Oh, she did not tell you, did she? She gave herself to a Lycan. Betrayed her own blood. She was weak, ruled by foolish emotions, and shattered this house beyond repair." He sneered. "She chose a path that led only to suffering—for her, for us all. And now you dare to follow?" He stepped forward, voice rising. "You think I will watch you drag my son into this madness? Watch him suffer like Kriponius did? Then you are sorely—"
"Enough."
Stephan’s fury surged, barely contained.
Raphael froze mid-breath, the words stripped from his mouth.
Stephan stepped forward again, his gaze locked onto his father’s, burning. "You do not get to twist her into something she is not, to condemn her for sins that were never hers." He paused. And then: "Say another word against her." His voice dropped, lethal. "I dare you."
