Jerome’s POV
For the first time in my locked, cursed life, I felt fulfilled. I could feel Raven’s blood pulsing inside me, mixing with my own, making me stronger, sharper, more alive than I’d ever been. The power was real. It was like a storm under my skin, and I wanted to laugh, to scream, to tear the world apart and rebuild it with my own hands.
But as I stood in the middle of the grand hall, surrounded by vampires who cheered for me, who called me a hero, I didn’t feel happy. I felt empty. My eyes kept searching for her—Raven. My salvation. The only thing that made this endless night worth living.
She was gone.
She’d slipped away after the arguments, and the chaos during dinner, after I’d shown everyone who I really was. I saw her run, her dress trailing behind her like a shadow, he
