LAYLA The sleet ticked at the window slow and irregular. Gray light pooled on the warped floorboards, catching on dust and cracked varnish. The heat hadn’t come up yet. I sat at the kitchen table in my slip, Daniel’s old trench coat thrown over my shoulders. My toes curled against the boards, trying to stay…

LIAM The reception tent buzzed with life, the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter ringing in my ears, but it all blurred into nothing. All I could focus on was her. Maeve. Standing just across the room, wearing Isabelle’s too-tight wedding dress, the fabric clinging awkwardly to her frame. It should’ve been her day with…

KHURZOG The hallway narrowed as we moved deeper. The scents shifted. Still the Bloodclaw house, but quieter. Like the bones of the place had grown patient over time. I could feel it under my boots: magic worn smooth by years of soft tread and hard living. Shuraka’s door wasn’t marked, but it knew her. The…