Aria Velren thought she knew what monsters were.
They were the rising bills on the kitchen counter, her mother’s tired eyes after a fourteen-hour shift, and the creeping fear that she might never escape their small, crumbling apartment.
Monsters weren’t real—not the kind her late father used to warn her about.
"There are things older than this world, Aria. They hunt in silence, in shadows. Stay inside after dark."
She used to laugh when she was younger. Vampires? Werewolves? Fairy tales to keep kids out of trouble.
But on a cold autumn night, as she walked home from her second job, reality shattered.
It started with footsteps. Soft at first. Then faster. Closer.
Before she could scream, cold hands dragged her into darkness.
When she woke, she was no longer in her world.
---
The Crimson Palace was breathtaking and terrible all at once. Its marble halls stretched endlessly, lit by candles that never melted. Roses bloomed black along the walls, their scent thick and cloying. And everywhere—eyes. Pale, unblinking, watching her like prey.
“Where am I?” she whispered, clutching her arms.
“This is your new home,” said the silver-haired man standing guard. Damien. His storm-grey eyes were impossible to read, but something flickered there—pity? Regret?
She didn’t care. She had to get out.
“My family—they’ll be looking for me. My little brother, my sister… my mom. Please. Let me go.”
“You can’t go back,” Damien said softly.
“Why?”
“Because he marked you.”
---
He.
She didn’t need to ask who.
Lucien Drakar. The Vampire King.
He entered her room like a shadow made flesh, his black cloak whispering against the floor. His golden eyes pinned her where she stood.
“You’re awake.”
“Stay away from me!” she screamed.
But he didn’t listen.
“You feel it, don’t you?” His voice was deep, rich like velvet soaked in blood. “The bond. The pull. Your soul recognizes mine.”
“You’re insane. I don’t know you! I’m not yours!”
“You are,” he said simply. “The moment I found you, you became mine. My fated mate. My strength. My curse.”
“I’ll never be yours.”
He smirked, though there was no warmth in it.
“We’ll see.”
---
But as days turned into nights, Aria learned that the world of vampires wasn’t just fangs and shadows.
It was deadly politics, ancient betrayals, and secrets buried so deep even the King himself didn’t know them all.
It was Damien—the loyal general with storm-grey eyes—who kept her alive when others wanted her dead. His presence was quiet but steady, and for reasons she couldn’t name, comforting.
And it was Lucien.
Lucien, whose molten gaze could ignite terror and desire in equal measure. Lucien, who burned with a rage older than centuries. Lucien, who held her life—and her heart—in his cold, cruel hands.
---
But every bond has a breaking point.
When another vampire clan threatened her family, Aria made the ultimate betrayal. She turned on Lucien, tearing his world apart in a single night. Blood spilled. Kingdoms fell.
Lucien’s golden eyes went cold as he spoke the words that shattered her.
"Leave. And never come back."
But what happens when hatred gives way to longing?
When Aria returns—not as his mate, but as his enemy—and finds Damien, the silver-haired general, standing at her side?
What happens when Lucien’s anger burns too hot… and so does his need for her?
And what happens when Damien—hiding his own forbidden desires—steps into the fire?
---
🖤 Mark of Thorns is a story of passion, betrayal, and power.
Of a girl who thought she was ordinary.
Of a King who thought he could never love.
Of a General who thought he could keep his secrets buried forever.
Three hearts.
One throne.
And a bond that could save—or destroy—them all.
---
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