SERAPHINE
The lingering scent of Maddox clung to my skin like a shackle, a reminder of the power he held over me. I tightened the robe around my body, smoothing the silk against my trembling hands. He had left abruptly, leaving me alone in the room we shared for his twisted games of control. Yet, this time, something was different.
That name. The Border Girl.
It echoed in my head like a haunting melody, pulling at strings deep within me I didn’t even know still existed. My heart thudded against my ribs as I stood motionless by the door. Maddox’s deep, commanding voice resonated faintly through the walls, just enough for me to catch fragments of his conversation with the servant boy.
“Lieutenants… spotted her,” the boy had said, his voice quivering with fear.
Maddox’s response had b
