Lucien left the antique shop with the witch's warning still echoing in his mind.
"She has returned to her rightful land… There will be no Beast."
He gripped the reins tightly as his horse carried him through the dim streets of Veridium. The cold air bit against his skin, but it couldn't clear the storm in his head.
So Sephrina had been pretending to be Isadora for days. Cedric was part of it. Others were involved too — "the Plurals," as they called themselves in whispers, though he still didn't know their exact purpose. Lucien had seen enough in the villa to know this was no ordinary deception. And now, the woman he'd vowed to protect… was gone.
