Aurora didn't sleep that night—not because of the whispers that stalked the corners of her flat, or even the pulse of power now nested beneath her skin. She couldn't sleep because Zayne hadn't kissed her goodbye.
He'd held her tight after their bodies had burned with something older than lust, deeper than need. But when the candles snuffed themselves out and shadows swallowed the corners of his bedroom, his voice had gone distant. Hollow. Like he was already preparing to let go.
Now, morning light slashed through her blinds, and every breath she took felt heavier. Too many questions clung to her like ghosts. What was she becoming? And why did Fiona's name taste like ash in her mouth?
She dressed without thinking—black jeans, oversized hoodie, the rings she never took off. A golden shimmer still kissed her fingertips when she pulled her sleeves down. The glow hadn't faded since Professor Gray collapsed. Since the board spelled her doom.
Silence her before the blood moon.
Whatever that meant, the countdown had begun.
Campus looked like something out of a horror movie. Students clustered in hushed groups, phones gripped tight, eyes darting like prey. Security swarmed the courtyard. They weren't even pretending it was a normal seizure anymore. Everyone knew something unnatural had touched Royal Crest University.
Aurora walked through it all, headphones in, volume off, gaze forward. She didn't want to talk. Didn't want to think.
But someone wasn't giving her the choice.
"Lane!"
She turned.
It was Micah Greaves. One of Ethan's friends. Soft-spoken in lectures. Never without a hoodie and a vape pen. He jogged up to her, nervous energy rolling off him.
"You okay?" he asked.
Aurora raised a brow. "Should I not be?"
Micah hesitated. "I was in Gray's class yesterday. I saw it. His eyes weren't just… blank. They were bleeding smoke."
Aurora said nothing.
Micah leaned closer. "People are saying there's a demon on campus. Some chick with glowing eyes."
Her heart kicked.
Micah searched her face, then laughed nervously. "Not saying it's you. I mean, if it was you, I'd let you haunt me, honestly."
Aurora cracked a forced smile. "Careful what you wish for, Greaves."
She left him there, nervous and awkward, and pushed through the doors of the library. It was the only place that felt steady.
Except it wasn't.
Inside, the lights flickered.
Books fell from the shelves.
And at the far end—near the old archives—stood Fiona.
But not the Fiona Aurora had grown up with. This Fiona wore darkness like perfume. Her hair was wild, lips stained red, eyes shadowed with something not-quite-human.
"You should've stayed in bed, Roomie," Fiona said sweetly.
Aurora took a slow step forward. "What are you?"
Fiona grinned. "I'm what you unlocked. You kissed the devil, and now the doors are open."
The air grew cold. Books fluttered open, pages tearing themselves free.
"You're not Fiona."
"Oh, I am," the thing said. "But I'm also Amara. And Lilith. And every woman who thought love could save her."
Aurora's hands crackled with light.
Fiona tsked. "Don't start something you can't finish. The curse wants chaos. And you? You're its favorite flavor."
Then she vanished.
Just… blinked out.
Aurora fell to her knees, heart racing, breath sharp.
She didn't cry.
She burned.
That night, Zayne came to her.
He didn't knock. Didn't speak. Just walked into her flat, rain dripping from his coat, shadows clinging to him like regrets.
"I felt it," he said.
Aurora turned from the window. "She's not Fiona anymore."
Zayne nodded. "I know. The thing inside her… it's older than curses. It's envy made flesh."
Aurora stepped toward him. "What do we do?"
Zayne stared at her, eyes soft. "We run."
"No."
He blinked.
"I'm done running," Aurora said. "I don't care what I am. I don't care what this curse feeds on. I won't be a pawn in someone else's tragedy."
Zayne crossed the space between them. Touched her face.
"You're not a pawn," he whispered. "You're the queen."
Their lips met again. Not desperate this time. Determined.
Outside, thunder cracked.
And far away, the blood moon began to rise.
End of chapter 7.