Prologue
This book is a Urban Paranormal Romantasy Retelling of Eve and Lilith.
If you don’t like political, feminist fantasy that’s pretty much a Big FUCK YOU to Christianity, Religious tyranny and oppressive systems this book might not be for you...
Also Blood Oath is VERYVERYGAY.
The concept of gender doesn’t really exist in the way it does in the human realm.
If you don’t like badass, powerful queer Main characters this isn’t for you...
ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON’T ENJOY shows like Arcane, Knights of Guinevere, Jordan Peele movies, The Owl House, The Mighty Neine, Feminist movies, and Percy Jackson you will LOVE this book.
Blood Oath is set in a fantasy realm like Dungeons and Dragons so expect a lot of multicultural creatures from East, West and Central African mythology, South-East Asian and East Asia including American and Hawaiian Indigenous mythology, fae, demons, werewolves... the whole SHABAM
But be warned... There’s a lot of world building...
A few themes of my book: Identity,Queerness as a norm in society,
Autonomy vs destiny,
Betrayal, Trust and Manipulation,
Found Family,
ChildAbuse, Domestic violence, Bullying
Magic
Moral ambiguity and Revenge,
Forbidden love and Intimacy (rivals, enemies, power dynamics)
Legacy, Curses and Generational cycles,
Systemic Oppression and Discrimination,
Full disclaimer this book has a few spicy scenes and there’s some angst and gore... but the sex is not theentiretyof the plot and there’s so much more than monsters fucking. I also intend on making this a series!
Anyways... HAPPY READING
(The song blends really well with the running sequence)
***
“Their hearts were governed by Chaos. Beneath their soles, the Withered did not remain silent—they stirred… and their silence became an army—a catalyst of justice.”
When my cousin forced me to join him on a suicide mission.
I didn’t expect toactually die.
I didn’t sign off on the mob of angry goblins.
Nor did I consent to be their prey for hunting season.
I’d lost my shoe 10 minutes ago, probably had blisters, and probably wouldn’t get over the paranoia, and my asshole was clenched so tight I knew I’d have to take a laxative later.
All because my idiot cousin sold hisvaluablemoonstone bracelet like it meant nothing, then grew a conscience—and roped me in with thatcrookedsmile and promises of a quick job.
“Back before dawn!”He said.
I should’ve known better.
He’s a compulsive liar.
But even though he’d taken “ride or die” to heart, I’d still follow that idiot into a devil’s maze barefoot if he asked...Then kick him in the balls later.
The plan was stitched together with spit and delusion, technically solid:
Sneak into the Old Tavern.
Distract the goblin while he steals the bracelet.
I was the golden ticket and, unfortunately... the distraction.
But he hadn’t mentioned I’d have to flirt my way in through thebouncer.
Gorgeous, built like Aphrodite’s wrath, with arms thick enough to fold me like a Rubik’s cube and slice my spine with her fingernails.
She’d be the last thing I’d witness before my angel wings sprouted.
Still... beggars can’t be choosers.
So I used what my momma gave me.
And somehow it worked.
I got in, and now all that was left was distracting a goblin who didn’t look half bad in his glamour... but was still old enough to be my father.
Floren was moving around the corner, vines coiling from his hands as he tried to pull out the bracelet from the goblin’s back pocket.
But then the fae leaned in, hot, foul breath in my ear—that wasn’t part of the plan.
God forbid I say no to a man that is half my size and thinks deodorant is a government conspiracy.
The fucker suddenly grabbed me when I recoiled, so I slapped him.
Backhand, so he knew what disgrace tasted like.
The fucking audacity!
The goblin frat squadpulled up on me like I’d just insulted their entire bloodline.
And I wasn’t about to fight all of them.
So I panicked... and chucked a fistful of termite dust straight into Romeo’s face.
Now, see... Termite dust wasn’t just a wonderful distraction—in fact, it was so wonderful that when it got under your skin, it lingered, festered,burned... andmade you see horrible hallucinations.
In this case, it made him berserk.
I thought it’d buy us time. Maybe a minute, maybe ten.
But his glamour faded, and now he was looking like a curse made in the armpits of hell.
So... naturally, like an idiot, standing there with dust on their hands and no backup?
Bitch,I ran.
So here I was running through a forest full of traps, teeth, and regret—all because my dumbass and my cousin’s dumbass thought he could out-thief the black market.
Floren said he’d swiped some portal ash—enough to get us out if things went south. But that fucker ran like a coward; he didn’t say he’d abandon me like a deadbeat on his 3rd marriage. The motherfucker said we’dbefine and ran like his ass was on fire.
He owed meso muchfor this!
My sanity. My edges. My fucking shoes!
I stumbled into a thicket, thorns grabbing at my thighs like horny geezers in a strip club, and stumbled upon aconvenientlyoversized boulder—nature was coming inclutch. Maybe the gods were finally starting to give a shit.
My heart pounded in my ribs, and I dove behind it.
Lungs tight, pulse loud.
Praying to any god with ears that they’d pass by.Then I heard them.
Their fucking voices—gravel and grease, thick with greedy hunger andhate.
Talking about apunishmentand somewhere private.
Yeah...Normally Idon’trun from fights. But hearing them threaten me?
Bitch,call me fucking Houdini.
This wasn’t a fight.This was a nightmare wearing goblin flesh.
My breath caught—then vanished—when a hand touched my shoulder.
I almost shit my pants.
The second their palm covered my mouth, I thrashed and wrestled until—
"Relax, it’s me. Come on!”
My cousin.
Thank the gods.
I turned to see him, but he looked different now—fullyunmasked.
Wild, platinum blonde braids crowning his head and ivory horns glinting like secrets... forest green eyes that used to feel like home.
Now I just wanted todisownhim.
FLOREN
As soon as I found my cousin, I knew we were fucked—it wasn’t just her ripped clothes or her horrified expression when I grabbed her shoulder; this mission had gone leftfast.
Inearlyshit myself 20 minutes ago.
Close call.
And while I’d initially planned on going lone wolf—Scarlett had been worried she’d have to drag me out of a grave—so... even thoughI’d warned her,as usual we were up to shenanigans that would cost us more than our sanity.
The fact was this bracelet was special... It wasn’t just some colorful ornament—a boy had given it to me once upon a time, before I’d harnessed my magic, before my childhood was taken from me, and before I realized I liked teasing death far too often...
Still... nothing else mattered more in that moment when I found her.
My ride or die, myalmost twin sister.
Relief kissed my skin as I helped her to her feet... But it wasfleetingandfragilewhen she smacked the back of my head.
“Ow!” I hissed and was about to argue when she pulled me along with her.
“What the fu—
“THERE!”
A fae’s voice split the air like a whip.
The reunion would have to wait.
"SHIT!”
I yanked Scarlett by the arm as we bolted through the trees. Branches sliced across our arms like nature taking taxes. And we ran together—like the thieving rats we were born to be.
“Where’s the portal ash?” She gasped, lungs heaving like they weren’t hers, our hands locked tight as we evaded branches from every acre of Mother Nature’s womb.
Fuck...
Just when I thought I couldn’t make her more mad...
"Itwasin my back pocket...”
“Then use it! What are you waiting for, a parade?!”
My goat legs danced through the underbrush like we were in a drag race, not in the middle of a fucking murder chase. Scarlett ran like she’d just eaten 3 burritos and the closest bathroom was 10 minutes away.
“What?”
I avoided her gaze. Too scared to admit I’d already lost it.
But I confessed, cause I figured we were gonna die anyways,
“I... I may have lost it.”
I blinked.
She stared at me, and for a split second, I wondered if she’d sacrifice me...
Gods above...
“We needed that!”
“I know!I know!I’m sorry!”
I yelped when I was almostparalyzedby a damn rock, ducking behind a tree as we crouched low. Our backs pressed againstbark, hearts drumming in unison.
“You’re lucky I know someone nearby with portal ash,” she hissed.
“And that’s why I love you—”
I knew I was grinning like salvation on a silver tray; I’d have to repay her with drinks and something less chaotic if we survived this.
Behind us, the goblins howled—vile, furious, and insatiable. Their boots—bricks crashing on the earth—louder and louder like hellhounds on hunting day. They screamed obscenities in a tongue so nasty it madeOrkishromantic.
“Come back here, you filthy whores!” one of them spat in goblin speak.
That one, I understood.
We broke into a sprint—toward the dock glinting ahead.
Our steps were loud, reckless, and soaked in adrenaline.
Scarlett yanked me beneath the dock planks—dragging me down into fucking lake water like an unwilling siren groom—it smelled likefish assand old regret.
The water wasso coldmy nipples filed a complaint and called in a raincheck. Darkness swallowed us whole as we slipped beneath.
I shivered—and then my soul took asnapshotwhen I heard their voicesechoingabove.
They stumbled onto the dock like pervy uncles at a family reunion—unwanted.Creepy,disgusting.
Their boots thudded loudly, the creak of old wood betraying their every step. We sank deeper, letting the water cradle us in silence while they barked like angry raccoons on a sugar high.
“That thieving bastard stole my moonstone charm! It had real stardust!”
One of them cried, “I’ll sever his head and take his two-timing whore back to my crib.”
Another growled, and Scarlett and I locked eyes like he hadn’t just called us lovers and threatened assault.
Dude... that’s my cousin.
I may have blonde hair, but Scarlett and I were practically twins—paternal.
I thought goblins were nice...
My heart thundered like it wanted to quit the team.
This wasn’tfunnyanymore. If they caught us... We weredone. Like grilled steak scorched by hellfire. Ground meat in the forest, stained pages in someone else’scautionarytale—
One of them leaned over the dock, eyes narrowing, squinting, sniffing the air like a vampire on withdrawal, smellingfreshblood.
I needed to use the bathroom...I squeezed my eyes shut.
We slipped deeper... Breath held, lungscursingat us.
Their voices blurred into underwater murmurs, and Ibeggedthe gods.
Please kill me before my cousin does.
But... after nearly drowning in fish piss and salt, their voices started to fade.
Disperse.
My lungs were on their last line, I was going to pass out, but I still flipped them off in my head as we submerged from the water, gasping for air like a vocalist drowning in a sea choir—we could’ve died.
We could’ve fucking died...
“F-fuck! Holy shit?!”Scarlett wheezed.
I knew goblins were violent, but what the hell??Whatever god wrote this side plot needed their title revoked.
“Fuck—!” I coughed, sputtering like a wet dog. “I thought we were gone!”
She shot me a glare so sharp it could shave stone off a gargoyle.
“None of this would’ve happened if yourbitch assdidn’t drag me into this dumbass heist! What are you,Detective Moron?”
"Bitch??I warned you things would get messy.” I flicked a slimy slug off my arm and grimaced, “You could’ve said no.”
She sucked her teeth, looking at me sideways as she climbed onto the dock, her clothes clinging likesewerbetrayal.
The breeze hit, and I flinched—soggy and cold.Pissed off...
Still, she helped me up, even though I was sure she’d considered pushing me back in the lake.
We stood there dripping, breathless, haunted. Then... after a breather, we started walking, dragging ourselves toDakarai’spotionshoplike two mermaids bar-crawling in a swamp.
**SCARLETT**
My feet were sore; my brain was worse.
And somewhere between juggling my sanity and trudging through mud with Floren, the thought returned.
I still didn’t knowwhatI was. My mother—a faerie. My father was an angel, but I was missing several physical capabilities.
No wings, no magic, just pointy-ass ears.
A constant reminder that something wassupposedto happen to me.
But genetics saidnope.
I thought that one day I’d sprout wings, shift, or light up like the rest of them. Instead? I wastrappedin the shadows.
AWithered.
That word clung to me like mildew.
Magicless fae. The broken ones. Theduds.
Fae spat it in amusement—said it wasa kindness.
Sometimes they called me a ”Fledgling.”
Like I was stillwaitingfor a miracle that everyone else had already given up on...
Maybe they were right.
Most fae came stamped fresh out of the womb like certified packages—marked up with some mystical sigil or ancestralBSthat declared who they were and what kind of monster they’d turn into on full moons or midlife crises. We preferredmortal forms—less drama, less drooling,incognito,less tail management—the gods did make it so we had some similarities; at least if humans invaded our lands, they wouldn’t know what we were unless we shifted.
So the tattoos spoke likepropheciescrawling against our skin.
Floren had a rose birthmark on his shoulder. Cute, right? Said,“I’m a musical forest satyr who might headbutt you if provoked."
Faeries had constellations inked into their skin—sometimes on their back, sometimes behind their ear. You didn’t always see it, buttrustme, when you noticed, they made sure it wasrelevant.
I remember catching Dad tracing the ones on Mom’s collarbone. The rest I don’t think I can say without atherapist and a lawyer present.
Faeries were like walking astrology charts, always ready to ruin your day with a Mercury-in-retrograde excuse. Like that one time Mom went on a girl’s trip with Auntie Ayana andaccidentallyled some horny humans into a fairy circle and trapped them for flirting.
The spell wears off after 2 days... Still,I digress.
Angels were easier. Most of them had crosses somewhere on their body—Dad had his on his chest.
Real heartfelt shit.
Cherubs were soft, harmless, weepy-eyed things. Messengers were more intense. Always looked like they were one coffee away from smiting someone at a donut shop.
Humanshatedthem and were scared shitless when they transformed.
I suppose seeing a20-foot floating orb with a billion eyes and 20 wingsthat fluttered like a death omen every time you blinkedwasterrifying.
But my dad? He was a Holy Judicator. Middle ranking, celestial authority, andblah, blah, blah,but in reality? He was just a big baby with wings and a heart that could melt iron.
He cried when watching dating shows and romcoms, like he didn’t just get a summons from the gods to judge 13 souls and carry out divine justice for a grieving family days ago.
I rememberwhen Mom said they shared their first kiss, he couldn’t look her in the eye for3 days—he blushed so hard his haloshort-circuited.
Then that same week? He got his intern job—sentenced a lesser demon to100years for possessing an elderly woman—he doesn’t play about his family orhumans—even though heopenlyhates humans.
But god forbid you get on his bad side...
Every fae had atelling, asymbol.
Trolls rocked their troll crosses as if they’d invented heavy metal. Werewolves got the deluxe treatment—phases of the moon tattooed across their spines, dramatic as hell.
Vampires had their sexy little ankhs. Demons? Either pentagrams, Luciferian sigils, or cool arcane scribbles, depending on their “class” like some Hellish Academic house sorting.
And me?
Nada.
No mark. No power.Just long-ass elf ears and alifetimesubscription to magical impotence.
They called it“delayed transformation.”I called it“cosmic cockblockery.”
Nineteen years of being the magical equivalent of a toaster thatwouldn’ttoast.
My parents enrolled me in every power reformation school they could find—some of them sketchier than others. I lit candles. Made sacrifices. Cried in every temple known to the gods.
Still nothing.
Not a flicker.
Not even a whisper or sparkle.
By 13, I’d given up on ascending into anything other than a vaguely magical disappointment.
Even the gods seemed toghost me.
My prayers just got tossed into some celestial spam folder.
My parents stopped pretending, too. Stopped asking if I ”felt anything new today." Just handed me lunch and a pitying smile.
They’d probably disown me if they knew what we’d gotten ourselves into today.
***
Floren and I stormed into Dakarai’s potion shop like two gremlins fresh out of detention. The place smelled like warm sage, lavender, and very faintly ofCinderkush.
Shelves towered around us—potion vials, dried herbs, and crystals that buzzed faintly like they were judging you.
“Raiiiii,” I called, sing-song, spinning once on my heel like I hadn’t just evaded death two seconds ago.
He looked up from the cloudy crystal ball he was polishing and grinned.
“Oh look who it is...” He said with a warm chuckle.
“Hey Rai... I need a favor,” I said, all teeth and charm and justenough desperationto land it.
“Anything for myfavoritecustomer,” he said, that old familiar smirk curling his lips.
Dakarai looked like if a tree spirit had a baby with an ancientgod—long grey twists, wise, gentle brown eyes, and laugh lines that spelledpeace and potions,not pressure.
“I’m kind oflowon portal ash...”
“Here,” He said before I finished my broke-ass sentence, tossing me a pouch tied neatly with a white string like he’d beenexpectingme to beg.
Fair.
“Damn—thank you. I swear I’ll pay you back.”
And I would once I had time to process today’s hell.
“Just stay safe. Both of you,” he said, side-glancing at Floren like he knew trouble traveled in pairs.
I ducked under the counter to hug him tight. His arms were always warm, like cinnamon tea and old protection spells. Then—
“Scarlett?”
I turned when Floren said my name, his face was almost as pale as his hair.
Jaw slack, frozen like an angel witnessing a goblinorgy.
And surely enough—therethey were.
Two goblins.
Ugly,pissed, and stomping toward us with fire and ice in their palms, like we’d just keyed their car andfuckedtheir mom. Their eyes werepuremalice, glinting like wet coaldippedin blood.
“RUN!”
I screeched, grabbing Floren by the arm.
Glass shattered. Shelves toppled. One of them screamed, “YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!” as a knife whistled past our heads. Floren wielded a few vines to trap them, giving us a few minutes.
“Shitshitshitshit!” Floren yelped, galloping beside me like a goddamn deer, hooves clicking against concrete soelegantlywhile I looked like a fish out of the water with pointy ears.
I dug into the bag of portal ash with trembling hands, muttering a frantic spell under my breath like it would work better if I cussed more.
“Come on, come on, come on—”
Right as one of the goblins lunged, I flung the ash over us, like I was seasoning a curse. The world exploded into light and dizziness. Our bodies warped into the portal, stretched and folded in on themselves like bad origami.
My stomach flipped. My bones buzzed. I felt like a balloon beingpulledthrough a kaleidoscope.
Traveling by Portal Ash wasalwaysnauseating... But you got used to it after a while.
Kind of.
THUMP.
We landed hard on the gravel just outside our home. I coughed, heaving like a mule forced to inhale his own feces.
Floren groaned. I rolled over and muttered, “I swear toeverysingle deity that I amneverdoing that again. You owe me,” I groaned, standing on wobbly legs.
He stretched like we hadn’t just been chased by goblin bounty hunters.
“You have to admit... thatwaskinda fun.”
“NEARLY DYING ISNOTFUN!” I snapped, wiping ash off my soaked shirt.
He just laughed. “Someone’scranky.”
“Shut up, twig-thighMc-Heehaw.”
“OKAY,trauma adjacent.”
I glared at him.
“Should’ve tossed you in the swamp.”
“And if you did that, you’d have to facethe parentsalone.”
I rolled my eyes. “Next time I’m clipping your horns.”
He pouted, “They just started growing!”
I smirked as we walked through the garden. “Exactly,don’t push me.”We pushed the gate open, laughing, tension easing as soon as we were in the safety of our home.
We pass the threshold of the house, and we’re met with anunsettlingsilence as we walk into the hallway. It’s usuallyneverthis quiet...peaceful...like goblins hadn’t just run us out of town with pitchforks.
“I’m going to bed,” I muttered. “Wake me up when the apocalypse starts.”
“You want to watchDestinylater?” he called, reminding me of our favorite fashion reality show.
"Dude, I’m two seconds from passing out, and I don’t—
“SCARLETT ADESSA THORNE!”
My blood iced. My legs turned to salt.
And my soulflinched.
That voice.
My father’s voicerumbled down the staircase like divine wrath.
The kind of tone that madehellhoundssit.
Full name too.
That was the sound ofconsequencesunloading. That was hisjudgment dayvoice.
“Y-yes?” I squeaked.
“Upstairs. NOW.”
I didn’t dare look up the stairs yet. I turned slowly. Floren met my gaze, green eyes wide with pure panic.
“AND DON’T THINK YOU’RE OFF THE HOOK, FLOREN ADAJI GREENBURROW!”
Oh, we were fucked.
"Shit,” we whispered together.
And trudged up the stairs like we were heading to our public executions. Becausemaybewe were.
* * *
“And you thought it was a good idea to steal back from a goblin because...?”
My father’s voice was calm—toocalm—the kind of calm that screamed, “I’mone wing twitch away from spontaneous combustion."
He tapped his foot with the same rhythm he used when interrogating fugitives as a divine enforcer.
Now, we were the fugitives.Great.
He was carved like a myth: deep ochre eyes like mine, brows thick enough to host a winter, and golden skin that shimmered faintly, like burnished coin. Intimidating if you didn’t know he cried over romcoms.
My mother stood beside him, arms crossed, her long braids pinned into a bun—threaded with elegance. Those ethereal,eternallyyouthfulfairy features. Forest green eyes, the same as Auntie Ayana. Same as Floren. I had Dad’s eyes.
I looked down at my feet like they’d grow roots andsaveme from this moment. Floren could take the heat for once.
I’d carried us through the last three lectures and one spiritual cleansing—without magic, mind you.
“W-well,” Floren stammered, “We—”
I stared at him, incredulous—
“We!?”
We didn’t speak French.
He rolled his eyes like a diva—accused of 37 homicides and 6 court orders but still had time to give the judgesass.
“I...”He shot me a glare."I made a mistake and wanted to stand up for myself. I was cheated. He paid me less for the moonstone bracelet! It had pure stardust, Uncle; I couldn’t just let him take it!”
My dad pinched the bridge of his nose as if he were lecturing hellhounds on drinking toilet water.
“Do you realize howdangerousthat was, Floren? You could’ve been killed!”
“Yeah, but we were—”
Kick.
I stomped on his goat leg before he could say something reckless.
“Dad, we’re sorry. We should’ve been more careful—”
“Damn right! I didn’t raise ademonbaby; what were you thinking? This isn’tfantasy. What if the goblins snatched y’all? Do you realize how stupid y’all were?! I raised you to have some common sense! Not... this.”
“Uncle, please, can’t you let us off just this once?” Floren tried.
Brave. Stupid.
Dad’s wings unfurled like a halo made of judgment, shadows dancing along the ceiling.
“NO.”
We shrank. Even Mom looked nervous. That meant we were royally screwed.
“Dad... What’s wrong?”
His eyes softened as he looked at me—then he dropped into his armchair with a grunt, wings scrunched awkwardly behind him like he didn’t know what to do with his own divinity anymore... Ialmostlaughed—until I caught my mother’s thousand-yard stare—as if she just realized she could tax me for living under her roof rent-free.
“We need to talk to you,” she said, her voice a sigh made of glass.
“We’ve decided... totransferyou to a different university.”
“What?!” I sat up like she’d just announced that ahumanwas swimming laps in our backyard pool.
“You’re not focused. You skip class. You need a job. And—” she hesitates,
“We don’ttrust youto be home alone...”
I wanted to scream—or cry, throw a tantrum, flip the damn couch.
But this was aBlackhousehold. So the closest I got to anything was staring at them like they’d just invited my ex over for Sunday dinner.
“Mom, you can’t do that mid-semester! I loveMallowCollege! I have friends—”
A lie...
“Yes, but the newregimehas changed... And this school has better opportunities. Besides, kids your age usually move out around this time, discovering their abilities.”
So that’s what this was about.Magic.
“And there was that Gorgon you dated... She’d almost turned your mom to stone when we caught you—
“Mom!!” I groaned, blushing like hellfire.
“That was one time—!”
“And let’s not forget... After your little heist today, those goblins almost killed you!? Then last week, you were smokingCinderkush?”
“That wasn’t mine!”
It was. It was definitely my Kush.
“I liked Miriam...” I mumbled, like that’d fix it. Sweet, clingy, bisexual disaster Miriam. Her snakes loved me and sometimes purred against my ear whenever she nipped my lip—until she cheated on me with a sorcerer namedJuly.
Mom looked at me like I’d told her favorite singer was retiring.
“We just think... You need an environment where you can discover yourself.”
“And stop making the house a fae circus,” Dad added.
“You can’t just uproot me every time I mess up; I’m not a child!”
I shouted.
“But you’ve been acting like one! And honestly, your father and I feel like you’re not taking this seriously. You need a job. Mallow is good for faewith magic, and seeing as you have nothing but a talent fordiving straight into danger—” Mom hissed before she could stop herself.
She flinched. Too late.
The words sliced clean.
“Scarlett, we didn’t mean—”
“I know what you meant.”
My voice cracked like autumn leaves—withered, brittle, and ready to fall.
She didn’t need to finish.I already knew how they saw me.
How everyone looked down on me.
I was a weak fae, with no magic, nospecialtalents, and my ancestors were probably considering leaving me out of the ancestral will.
Floren stepped forward, panic lacing his voice.
“You can’t send her away! That’s not fair!”
“It’s final,” Dad said.A god’s decree.
I could feel a storm brewing in my chest, tears lingering, and a curse stitched tight into broken promises.
“So that’s it? You’re just going to ship me off like an Delivery return?”
My aunt interrupted as if one punishment wasn’t enough.
“Floren, don’t think you’re off the hook. You’ve been enrolled in herbology and medicine.”
The blood drained from his face.
"WHAT?Mom, no. You know I want to be a mage guard—!”
“You should’ve thought of that before bartering with forest goblins!”
He swore under his breath. I squeezed his hand. We were both being clipped like wild wings.
“We only want what’s best. The school is good, safe... They don’t discriminate against any fae... and they have many courses outside of celestial magic,” Mom said, her voice soft but hollow.
Dad stood. “It’s agoldenopportunity, Scarlett. We just want you to besuccessful.”
I hissed, “I’m not one of yourmortalclients.”
Before he could scold me, Mother’s eyes narrowed—sharp like I’d just broken an heirloom.
“Don’t talk to your father like that.”
I avoided her gaze, rage simmering beneath the obedience.
Aunt Ayana nodded. “We just want you to wake up. Stop throwing your life away.”
I laughed—dry, bitter, and burned at the edges.
“No. You just wanted to get rid of me. Admit it. You’reashamed.” I growled,
“Ashamed, I’m not the child youexpected. I’m notangelic or fairyenough for your shiny family portrait.”
“No one said that.”
“Right,” I snapped, “But you’re allthinkingit.”
I rose. The carpet felt like needles beneath my feet. The air smelled like judgment. I left before they could see me cry.
“Where are you going!?”
My father barked.
“My room.”
I slammed the door loud enough that it ricocheted and vibrated throughout my body so they would know this was just another shackle along with all my failures.
Tears streamed down my face as I found it empty...
So they’d alreadypackedmy life away.
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