I had no time to react before the agile rogues dragged me roughly from the tree hollow. They bound my hands with specialized ropes that caused a slight burning sensation against my skin—clearly treated to affect supernatural beings. Forced to march for what felt like hours through the dense forest, I was finally brought to a grim, ancient castle dungeon hidden behind a roaring waterfall. Damp, bone-chilling air hit me, thick with the smell of mold and a faint, coppery hint of blood. Deep in the dungeon, the flickering torchlight illuminated the two people I least wanted to see—Derek Volton, and my mother, October Griffiths, her face still beautiful but her eyes as venomous as any serpent"s. "My foolish half-breed daughter," Griffiths stepped forward, her cold fingers tipped with crimson po
