Chapter 20
The dawn that broke over the Silver-Crest Manor was not the harsh, blinding light of judgment, but a soft, pale gray that crept tentatively across the stone floors. The manor was finally quiet. The screaming of the gates had faded, the chaos of the takeover had settled into a wary stillness, and the oppressive weight of Silas’s rule had been lifted—only to be replaced by the quiet, daunting responsibility of a new beginning.
Nyx sat in the center of the master suite, wrapped in a heavy, fur-lined robe that swallowed her frame. She felt small, despite the fact that the entire estate now answered to her name. She watched the dust motes swirl in the thin light, her amethyst eyes unfocused.
The door creaked open. She didn't turn. She didn't have to; the shift in the air—the su
