Gemma’s POV
John’s funeral had been beautiful.
The river, the flowers, the soft sounds of the water crashing against the rocks—it all felt peaceful. Like the Moon Goddess herself had come down to guide him home.
But Lucien ruined it.
He ruined everything.
The image of the black smoke swallowing John’s burning boat replayed over and over in my head. The flames disappearing. His body vanishing. Lucien’s face appearing inside the smoke like the devil himself.
And the worst part?
He looked at me and said I should be dead.
Those words wouldn’t leave my mind.
Normally, nothing scared me anymore. Not after everything I had survived. Not after the torture, the deaths, the blood on my hands. But whatever I felt back there by the river… it wasn’t normal fear.
It was ancient.
Dark.
Like m
