Maeve’s POV
I reached up, my fingers ghosting over the glowing violet mark at the base of my throat. It pulsed with a cold heat, a constant reminder of the power beneath my skin.
Aria.
The name alone tasted like ash in my mouth, bitter, dry, and suffocating.
A maid, her head bowed in submission, stood behind me, holding the bodice of my gown. She fumbled with the clasp of a diamond-encrusted choker, her fingers shaking so violently that the metal rattled against my collarbone. I caught her gaze in the mirror, and she instantly looked away, her eyes wide with terror.
Good. She knew who the queen of this fortress was, and she knew the price of a mistake.
I ignored her presence entirely, closing my eyes to shut out the sterile, white light of the dressing room. Immediately, the d
