Saoirse
I didn’t just skip dinner last night—I erased it. Locked the door, pulled the curtains shut, and blasted music so loud it drowned out every sound of this cursed estate. Not a knock. Not a word. Not even a thought of letting them in.
By the time the sun clawed its way through my blinds, I was already out of bed, scrubbing the taste of their voices off my skin with hot water and silence.
Back to the academy. Back to pretending none of this ever happened.
I slipped into the academy uniform but the moment I stepped out, the scent of roasted coffee and fresh blood sausage hit me like a slap. Kitchen.
And of course, they were all there.
Mother with her perfect smile, playing the part of matriarch. And them—Cain and Cyrus—seated at the table like twin devils waiting to bite.
“Honey
