The palace had never screamed before.
It groaned—stones grinding like old bones, torches flaring blue instead of gold, shadows stretching too long and too thin along the walls. Heidi felt it in her skin, a crawling awareness that the building itself had become a predator.
"This," she said breathlessly as Lucian half-dragged her down a corridor, "is definitely not on the official tour."
"Stay focused," Lucian snapped, sword already in his hand, its blade humming with suppressed power. "They've sealed the inner gates."
"Of course they have," Heidi muttered. "Why wouldn't tonight be the night of dramatic betrayal?"
They turned a corner—and nearly collided with armed guards.
Imperial guards.
Lucian stopped so abruptly Heidi slammed into his back. The men before them hesitated, eyes flicking from emperor to woman to emperor again. Their grips tightened on their spears.
"Stand aside," Lucian commanded.
No one moved.
Heidi peeked around him. "Uh. This is usually the part where they bow."
One guard swallowed. "Your Majesty… the Council has issued an emergency decree."
Lucian's voice went glacial. "Recite it."
"By unanimous decision," the guard said, voice shaking, "the woman Heidi Brooks is declared a destabilizing entity. She is to be detained immediately for the preservation of the realm."
Heidi blinked. "Wow. That escalated fast."
Lucian's aura snapped.
The torches exploded into flame.
The guards stumbled back, some dropping to one knee, others frozen in terror as the air thickened with raw imperial power.
"I am the realm," Lucian said quietly. "And I decide what preserves it."
He stepped forward. The guards scattered.
Heidi stared after them. "Remind me never to annoy you."
"You annoy me constantly," he replied. "This is different."
They moved again, faster now. Alarms echoed through the palace, bells clanging like war drums. Somewhere above them, something roared—deep and furious.
"That's not thunder," Heidi said.
"No," Lucian agreed grimly. "It's the binding weakening."
They reached a wide stairwell spiraling downward—toward the heart of the palace.
Toward the throne.
Lucian slowed. "We shouldn't go this way."
Heidi grabbed his sleeve. "Lucian. If the thing under the throne is waking, running won't help. This ends tonight."
His jaw clenched. "I will not let it touch you."
She smiled faintly. "I know. That's why I'm not scared."
He looked at her then—really looked—and something fierce and unspoken passed between them.
They descended.
The air grew colder. Older. The walls were carved with symbols that made Heidi's head ache if she stared too long. Whispers brushed her ears—not words, exactly, but hunger.
Mine.
She shuddered.
At the bottom of the stairs, the throne room doors stood open.
Inside, chaos.
Council members shouted over one another, robes in disarray. Soldiers lined the walls, some praying, some weeping. And at the center—
The throne.
Cracks spiderwebbed through the obsidian seat, dark light pulsing from within. Shadows pooled beneath it, thick and alive.
Lucian stepped forward. "Enough."
The room fell silent.
An elder councilman spun, eyes wild. "You're too late! The binding is failing. She accelerated it!"
All eyes turned to Heidi.
She waved awkwardly. "Hi?"
"You brought an anomaly into the sacred space," another councilor hissed. "The Devourer recognizes her!"
The shadows surged.
Lucian moved instantly, pulling Heidi behind him. "Do not speak of her."
The throne laughed.
This time, sound came with it—a deep, wet chuckle that vibrated through the floor.
Emperor, it whispered. You finally bring me a feast worthy of my patience.
Heidi felt the pull again—stronger now. Her knees buckled, but she forced herself upright.
"Nope," she said aloud. "Not happening."
Lucian glanced back sharply. "Heidi—"
She stepped past him.
The room erupted in shouts.
"Stop her!"
"She's insane!"
"Seize her!"
Lucian roared, power flaring, throwing soldiers back with invisible force. "No one touches her!"
Heidi walked straight toward the throne, heart pounding, every instinct screaming danger.
"Lazy girl," the Devourer crooned. "You feel it, don't you? The emptiness. The desire to rest. To be fed."
Her vision blurred. Her fear—never eating, never being safe—rose like a tide.
She stopped three steps from the throne.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I feel hungry all the time."
The shadows leaned closer.
"But here's the thing," she continued. "I don't steal other people's lives to fix it."
She placed a hand over her chest. "I choose."
The Devourer shrieked.
Light exploded outward—white, blinding, searing. Heidi screamed as something tore free inside her, a warmth she'd never known she carried flooding the room.
Lucian ran to her, catching her as she collapsed.
"Heidi!" His voice cracked.
The throne cracked wider—then shattered.
The shadows screamed as they were dragged inward, compressed, consumed by a light that burned without heat.
Silence crashed down.
When Heidi opened her eyes, she was on the floor, Lucian cradling her like something precious and breakable.
The throne was gone.
So were the shadows.
The council stared in stunned horror.
Lucian laughed—a broken, disbelieving sound. "It's gone."
Heidi managed a weak grin. "Told you. Kill it."
He pressed his forehead to hers, trembling. "You could have died."
She shrugged weakly. "Still here."
He pulled her into his chest, holding her like he'd never let go. The room watched—powerless now.
Lucian stood, still holding her, and turned to the Council.
"Let it be known," he said coldly, "that any who move against Heidi Brooks move against me."
No one spoke.
He kissed her then.
Not gently.
Not carefully.
But like a vow carved in fire.
When he pulled back, his voice was iron. "Prepare the coronation."
The palace had bled.
The throne had fallen.
And nothing would ever be the same again.