Rowena ran as fast as her legs could carry until she stopped in front of a wooden door. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Draven was in bed. He jolted upright at the sound of the door. His golden hair was messy. The door hit the wall with a sharp sound. His eyes, half-closed from sleep, tried to understand what was happening.

He blinked to keep his eyes alert. "My Queen, what brings you to my chamber?" His voice softened as soon as he got a clear look at her.

She stepped further into the room. And Draven saw her face. The redness in her eyes. The puffiness under the skin. The dried tears that made tracks down her face.

He swung his legs off the bed and stood up quickly. He didn’t hesitate, even though he was naked. He reached for the robe at the edge of the bed and pulled it over his shoulders. He tied the belt at his waist.

"You were right," she said.

Draven scrunched up his eyebrows. He walked closer to her. He stopped a few feet away. "About what?" he asked.

"About Zareth. He is only using me for what he wants. He does not care about me."

"Have you been crying? And why are you saying Zareth does not care about you? What happened?"

Rowena opened her mouth. No words came out. She tried to hold herself together to speak, but her face crumpled and her chin trembled. Then she broke, a loud sob coming out of her throat. She tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but the sound still came through.

Draven covered the space left between them. He pulled her into his arms. One hand went to her back while the other went to the back of her hand. He held her against his chest.

Rowena did not pull away. She pressed her face into his chest, her hands on the fabric of his robe. She held on tight as her body shook with each sob.

Then the words came out all at once.

"An elder came from Lycanthria." She said, her voice muffled. Broken. "He brought news...my mother is dead. She. Is. Dead. Draven." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Draven’s hand moved over her back in slow circles. He said nothing.

Her chest rose sharply as she struggled to speak. "She died...and I was not there. I left her. She must have felt lonely."

Rowena pulled back just enough to look at him. "They promised me she would be safe. This is my fault—all of it. If I had not agreed to be a vessel, she would still be alive. I did this. I chose this. I chose power over her, and now she is gone."

She buried her face in his chest again.

"I’m so sorry, Mother." She cried.

Draven just kept his arms around her and let her cry. They stood like that for a long time until her sobs became quieter and her grip on his robe loosened.

When she finally stopped crying, he led her to the bed. He sat her down at the edge of the bed. Her shoulders were slumped, and she looked exhausted.

Draven sat next to her. "I am sorry for your loss. Truly. No one should have to lose a mother like that."

"Zareth threatened me," Rowena mumbled.

Draven’s forehead creased. "Threatened you how?"

"I told him I was going to Lycanthria. He used his power to freeze my legs to the floor. He told me I would do what he says and nothing else. And that he would discard anything useless to him."

Draven nodded slowly. "That is what I have been trying to tell you about him. He cannot be trusted. He will never be loyal to you, only to himself and the Witch-Queen spirit."

Rowena let out a small, bitter breath. "You were right about all of it."

Draven reached over and took her hands. His fingers wrapped around hers. "Now that you know the truth about him, I will tell you the rest. His plans. What he wants with the Witch Queen. What he also wants with you?"

He let go of one of her hands and reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "You don’t have to worry about his threats." He stood up and walked to the table.

Then he poured water from the pitcher into a cup and brought it to her. She took the cup; her hands were shaking.

"Zareth wants to become immortal," Draven said.

Rowena’s jaw dropped slightly as she stared up at him. "Is that possible? Can anyone actually become immortal?"

Draven sat back down beside her. "Yes, it is possible. But you have to be willing to make sacrifices. Terrible sacrifices. Things most people would never do."

Rowena lifted the cup to her mouth and drank. "What kind of sacrifices?" She asked.

"From what I have heard, Zareth has already done many things. He killed the previous lord of Drakwyne to take the throne. That much is known. But he also killed his own wife, a powerful Dominican witch. He cut out her heart and ate it. That is how he has stayed young for so long."

Color drained out of Rowena’s facial skin.

"That’s pure evil."

"He has sought power from deadly sources. Things that should not be touched. He has done worse than just killing his wife."

"What could be worse than killing one’s beloved?" Rowena asked.

"Sleeping with your child and making her carry your child," Draven answered.

Rowena’s jaw dropped further, and her eyes went wide.

"All of it to become immortal."

She shook her head slowly. "I never imagined. I thought he just wanted to plunge the world into darkness for the wanderers. To help break their curse. That is what I believed."

Draven scoffed. "It is more than that—much more. If Zareth becomes immortal and plunges the world into eternal darkness, he would reign forever. No one to stop him. Every soul in every kingdom would worship him because they would have no choice."

Silence filled the room.

Rowena stared down at the cup in her hand, trying to process everything she had just heard.

"That is why I have decided to destroy his plans. Zareth cannot become immortal. If he does, none of us will ever be free. Every generation that comes after us will be born into his shadow."

Rowena looked at him. "I cannot be on his side. Not after today," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Not after he threatened to take the spirit out of me. Not after he looked at me and treated me like I was a tool to be discarded after use."

Draven nodded slowly. "I know," he said.

Rowena’s jaw tightened. "How do we stop him?"

"You." He pointed.

"Me?" She raised her brows. "What do you mean?"

"You are the only one who can stop him. You have the power he needs, one that he cannot control. So you need to become powerful. If you learn to control it, really control it, then you will have more power than Zareth has ever touched."

He paused.

"Are you ready to do anything to get your revenge? Against the people who killed your mother? Against Zareth, who only sees you as a tool?"

Without hesitation, she shook her head. "I am ready."

"Good."

"Zareth told me his sources have agreed to his terms so that they will reach Drakwyne in a week or two."

Draven nodded, not looking surprised. He knew about the sources. He has heard about them. Powerful and Dangerous.

"When they arrive, you should train hard. Don’t hold back. The stronger you become, the less you need him."

Rowena nodded once.

"And when the time is right, I’ll tell you what to do. And you have to trust me." He added.

"I trust you."

There was a brief silence between them.

Draven looked at her for a moment, then his expression softened. "You have been through too much in one day. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? To take your mind off your loss?"

"I need a favor."

"Anything."

She took in a deep breath. "I want you to help me retrieve my mother’s body. I need to bury her in a good place. I cannot leave her in Lycanthria."

There was a long pause.

Rowena expected him to say no. She expected him to tell her it was impossible. Going into Lycanthria would be too dangerous, and the risk of getting her mother’s body would be high.

"Okay," Draven said.

Rowena blinked repeatedly. "Okay?"

"I will look into it. I will find out where they took her body and what it would take to bring her to Drakwyne." He reached over and rubbed her back slowly.

"You would really do that for me?" Rowena’s eyes filled with tears again.

"I promise you. I will do everything I can to bring your mother’s body home." He gave her a small squeeze on her free hand.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"So try to rest now. You will need your strength." He said.