It’s finally here.

The opening chapter of Crown of the Faithless—Book Five of the Bloodwrought Cycle series—is ready to be shared, and I couldn’t be more excited to finally let you step back into Blackmoor with me.

For those who’ve been following Melissa and Xylar’s journey, this book raises the stakes higher than ever before. Old enemies resurface, loyalties are tested, and the fragile balance in Blackmoor threatens to collapse. But first, the morning after the Founder’s Banquet…

Grab a cup of tea, find a quiet corner, and sink into the first chapter.

Chapter One - After the Banquet

Melissa

The morning after the Founder’s Banquet felt different from the three years I’d celebrated it in Blackmoor. Something in the air carried a shift I couldn’t quite name. Sunlight stretched across my room in soft ribbons, catching on the silver trim of my bedspread and scattering faint patterns on the walls.

Even the quiet chirp of birds outside felt brighter, as if the world had decided overnight to turn itself toward me instead of away.

I sank into the familiar scents of the house as I dressed for school, chamomile and rosemary drifting from the kitchen like they belonged to us, as though they’d chosen our walls to cling to instead of anyone else’s. The perfume of it wrapped around me—steadying, grounding.

I let myself believe, just for a breath, that today might be different.

At my vanity, I brushed a hand across the neatly scattered palette of powders and lip gloss, a ritual more than a necessity. The mirror caught the strands of my hair still undone and the tired curve of my smile.

Blackmoor might thrive on reputation, but here in the soft morning light, it was easier to forget the weight of expectation pressing against my shoulders.

For the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel like a ghost walking through someone else’s story. I felt… awake.

I never wanted to be the kind of girl who got giddy over someone. That wasn’t me—or at least, it wasn’t supposed to be. But with Xylar, it was different. No matter how I tried to steady myself, the memory of last night kept unraveling inside me, tugging at every quiet place I thought I’d locked away.

Our night together hadn’t been just another blur in Blackmoor.

I had given myself to him, fully, flaws and all, and he hadn’t turned away. My thoughts kept circling back to the dance in the empty market district—the way he’d placed my hand over his heart as if it meant something, as if he was letting me in on a secret he didn’t dare say out loud.

He hadn’t said he loved me back. I knew that. But I saw it anyway—in every word, every glance, every time his arms closed around me like I was something worth holding onto. It all felt too perfect to be real.

The dance, the sound of that blind saxophone player carrying through the night, even the way I whispered my confession. Like a dream stitched together out of moments I was afraid wouldn’t last.

I caught my reflection in the mirror as I dragged the brush through my hair, and my thoughts slipped back to the rest of our night after the dance.

The way he’d made my first time feel—careful, unhurried, like every second mattered. Not like before, when his hands had been searching for Athena’s mark, edged with tension he couldn’t quite hide. Last night was different.

He touched me as if I was something to memorize, every inch mapped like he couldn’t bear the thought of letting go. And I knew it wouldn’t be—not if I had any say in what came next. Because his touched hadn’t been the only thing lingered with me, it was also his words.

Also those of my own—pulled from a place deeper than fear, more honest than anything I’d said before. I wasn’t going to keep taking whatever the world decided to give me. Not anymore. If I wanted something, I’d fight for it. Especially if what I wanted was him.

Part of me wanted to hold on to the memory a little longer. The other part couldn’t wait to spill it to Riley. After everything last night, I wanted her to hear it first—while she told me about her own.

I hoped she’d gotten the kind of news that would finally move her closer to her goal of making a name for herself. If anyone deserved that, it was Riley, and I was determined to help her get there.

The thought left a pinch of guilt in my chest. Riley had carried me through more nights than I could count, and I’d let my own mess keep me from doing the same for her. This time I wasn’t going to let my own problems keep me from showing up for her.

I clipped in my hoop earrings, the mirror catching a glimpse of my steadying smile, when the faintest sound stirred behind me—a swoosh, light as breath, followed by the brush of air across my skin. I didn’t need to turn to know. That presence was as unmistakable as the warmth it carried with it.

My lips curved before I even faced him. Xylar leaned against my desk, hands braced as if the room belonged to him, a small smirk tugging at his mouth.

“Hello, Witchling,” he said.

“Xylar.”

I rose from my seat, the word escaping more like a breath than a greeting. I closed the space between us and wound my arms around his neck, kissing him without hesitation. As always, he didn’t pull away.

And with that simple truth, every shadow of doubt faded—the night before hadn’t been my imagination.

It had been real.

I pulled back just enough to catch a breath, my forehead still close to his. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. I figured Vivian would have you and Will locked in some endless recap of the banquet.”

“The banquet went over quite smoothly,” he said, his smirk sharpening. “So smoothly that even Vivian has been left without complaint—though I’ve no doubt she’ll invent a reason or two before the week is out.”

He gave a small shrug, eyes flicking over me with that unhurried appraisal. “But considering you appear perfectly safe, I’d say any lingering issues from last night are no longer my concern.”

I shook my head, a short laugh slipping out. “You’re not worried about another Moon Gala disaster? Because I really don’t think I’m cut out for another supernatural babysitting shift.”

The memory tugged at me—Jessica Richmond, frightened and stumbling under compulsion, Will deciding that Xylar and I were apparently qualified to keep her in line. Which, of course, ended with us losing her entirely for nearly an hour.

I didn’t hate spending that time with Xylar. What I hated was that it came packaged with Jessica—the same girl who’d made my first year in Blackmoor feel like an initiation into hell. Thankfully, college meant I only had to see her at lunch, and even then, I did my best to forget she existed.

Xylar didn’t answer me right away, as though the question had pulled him somewhere deeper. When he finally spoke, his tone was steady, almost casual.

“I’ve no doubt the vampires seized last night as an opportunity to wedge themselves into matters they don’t belong in. Once I uncover what it is, I’ll deal with it—if, of course, it interferes with my own plan.”

My brows knit, suspicion tugging at me as I studied him. Around him, my guard had a way of slipping, my shoulders falling into something almost lazy.

Still, I pressed. “And what plan is that, exactly?”

His brows lifted slightly, amusement threading through an otherwise bored expression.

“At present? Escorting a certain witch to school. Though I feel I should warn you…” His smirk curved, low and deliberate. “I don’t intend to take no for an answer.”

My smile bloomed again, playful as I tilted my head in mock thought. “So, you’re picking me up and actually going to class? Either someone compelled you… or you secretly miss me.”

Xylar didn’t so much as blink. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t flinch—as though he’d already weighed the words long before I spoke.

“I didn’t come here because I missed you,” he said evenly. “I came because the thought of someone else holding your attention makes me want to tear them apart.”

Heat crept into my cheeks, the kind I couldn’t force away even if I wanted to. My smile stayed, stubbornly etched in place as I shook my head, unwilling to let him see how much those words cut through me.

The words should’ve scared me. Maybe they did. But somewhere in the space between fear and heat, I found myself wanting to believe him.

“Are you always going to be this honest with me?”

It wasn’t a complaint. If anything, it meant more than I could ever explain. In a world split between normal and supernatural, truth was rare. And trust—even rarer.

Plus, it was almost unfair, the way he could make me feel like I meant everything with nothing more than a look. Maybe I needed to practice keeping a straight face—pretending I wasn’t fighting a smile every time he cut past my walls so easily.

His smirk returned, one brow lifting in that infuriating, irresistible way. “Would you prefer I lie to you?”

I gave a playful shrug. “Maybe.”

He laughed low in his chest, the sound curling through me. Then he leaned in, lips hovering near mine long enough to steal the breath I hadn’t even taken yet—before claiming it with a kiss.

I melted into it, tugging at the lapels of his jacket as I guided him toward the bed. The fabric slipped from his shoulders under my hands, my fingers tracing the hard lines of muscle, pausing at the inky mark winding up his right arm. I wrapped myself lazily around his neck, unwilling to let him go, even for air.

His hands slid beneath my shirt, his thumbs teasing just under the edge of my bra. His skin was cold as ever, but somehow he’d never felt warmer against me.

A single knock came at my door—so soft I almost thought I’d imagined it—before it cracked open and Uncle Edgar’s voice drifted in. “Hey Kiddo, you planning to make it to the university today? If not, I’d understand, after the whole Selene thing, but—”

He stopped cold the moment his eyes landed on us.

For a second, he just… froze. His gaze widened, then narrowed in the kind of way that said he was trying very hard to process what he was seeing. Clearing his throat, he straightened his shoulders.

“Ah. Well… clearly, you’ve got plans that don’t involve lectures today.”

His eyes darted between us once, the corners of his mouth twitching like he wasn’t sure whether to frown or sigh. “I’ll, uh… forget I saw this. We’ll talk later, alright?”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the door closed behind him, the sound of his retreating footsteps echoing down the hall.

I groaned, pressing both palms to my forehead. Heat rushed to my face as I buried it in my hands. If there was a hole in the floor, I would’ve gladly disappeared into it.

For the first time since moving back to Blackmoor, I wished I had my own place. If only dorms existed here, if only my bookstore paycheck stretched further than tuition. Privacy. Freedom. Neither belonged to me. Not here.

“Great,” I muttered, my voice smaller than I meant it to be, edged with frustration. “Now I get to look forward to the world’s most awkward talk about having a guy over.”

Xylar tilted his head, his voice dripping with mock ease. “I doubt Edgar cares that you’ve got a guy in here. He cares that the guy happens to be me.”

He let the words linger, savoring the weight of them, before a quiet laugh slipped past his lips.

“Anyone else, and he’d pat them on the back and remind them to keep the door shut. But with me? He’s likely downstairs pouring himself a drink, wondering why his niece had to go and choose a Thorne of all people.”

A laugh escaped me, soft and dry. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself. He’d probably be just as horrified if it were the pizza delivery guy.”

His steel-blue eyes locked on mine then, cutting through everything else in the room. The way he looked at me… I could never get tired of it. My smile lingered as I lifted my hand to his cheek, the cool of his skin grounding me.

“Hopefully one day, he’ll see what I see in you.”

Xylar’s thumb brushed along my cheek, his touch softer than I expected from someone like him. I drew in a breath, steadying myself before I spoke. “If my uncle’s not okay with this… then maybe we should at least try to respect that.”

His gaze never wavered, voice dropping to something low and unshakable. “If that’s what you wish, I’ll play along. But understand this, Melissa—his opinion won’t change what I am to you.”

I nodded, no words needed. Because he was right. It wouldn’t change for me either. Not only because I loved him, but because he’d become one of the few people I’d chosen to keep close.

It still hurt, knowing my mother had chosen to stay away. But when I thought of Irene, of Edgar, of Riley—and now Xylar, Will, and the others—I realized I wasn’t defined by her absence. I wasn’t empty because of her choice. I already had a family. One that chose me back.

Pushing up from the bed, I ran a hand through my hair, still trying to shake off the heat in my cheeks.

“We should probably get to school,” I said with a small, rueful smile. “Before my uncle changes his mind and decides I need a curfew… or a list of house rules taped to my door.”

What almost passed for a smile curved across his lips. “If it’s rules he wants, he’ll be disappointed. I’ve never been one to follow them—especially when it comes to you. And I don’t intend to start now.”

I stood, a quiet laugh slipping out, though my chest felt warmer than I wanted to admit. “Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten me to break any rules yet.”

We stepped out of my room, the door clicking shut behind me. Xylar slowed just enough to glance down, his smirk tugging as he slid his hands into his pockets.

“Oh, I will,” he murmured, his voice low and unshakably certain. His gaze caught mine, lingering. “The only question, Witchling… is which rule you’ll enjoy breaking first.”

I shook my head, fighting another smile. Somehow, I knew things were only going to get wilder from here.

Loving someone from the most dangerous family in the supernatural world was one thing. But today—today felt like the beginning of something heavier. With the Moon Festival behind us, there was nothing left to keep people like Vivian from circling closer, while the rest of Blackmoor decided whether to fight the vampires or bring down the Thrones.

I couldn’t afford to rush back into things the way I had before. Not if I wanted to survive what was coming. But when the moment came… I already knew the question I’d be asking myself.

The same one Xylar had left me with. Which rule I’d be willing to break first. Because this time, it wouldn’t be about what the world handed me. It would be about what I chose.

* * *

The first wing always felt longer when you were being watched. My shoes clicked against the polished floor as I made my way toward Nathan’s classroom—204—with Xylar at my side. He walked like he always did, with that quiet confidence that said nothing could touch him.

I wished I could mirror even a fraction of that. But the stares were impossible to ignore—the sharp, cutting ones from the girls, the curious ones from the guys. Xylar drew attention whether he wanted it or not.

Dragon Sin of Lust. A Thorne. And just… Xylar. Standing next to him only reminded me how out of place I felt, like stepping back into senior year as the new girl with no anchor.

Back then, at least I’d had Riley. She was the one who made that first day survivable. But this morning, she wasn’t here—and the silence where her voice should’ve been was starting to gnaw at me.

No call, no run-ins, nothing since the Founder’s Banquet last night. The silence left a weight in my chest I couldn’t shake.

I slipped a hand into my bag until my fingers closed around my phone. No new messages. My stomach dipped a little as I opened our thread anyway, scrolling to the last text Riley had sent: You bailing on me again, or are you actually going to this party with me?

I’d never answered. Not after the way the night had gone with Xylar.

Biting my lip, I typed quickly: Where are you? You know we don’t have today off, right? Call me.

The sigh that escaped me was heavier than I meant it to be.

Beside me, Xylar’s voice broke through, low and steady. “Is there something I should be concerned about?”

I hesitated, staring down at the blank screen like an answer might appear if I waited long enough. Maybe she was hungover, running late. But it didn’t sit right.

Riley never risked her perfect record—not when she was already mapping out her future as a marketing coordinator and swore one missed class could ruin her chances.

And she didn’t just show up. She over-prepared, arrived early, made sure I never slipped behind. If she was silent now… something was wrong.

I tapped my phone against my palm, eyes drifting but not really focusing.

“I don’t know… maybe I’m overthinking it,” I admitted softly. “Still trying to decide.”

My gaze flicked to Xylar just as he started to speak, but the sound of hurried footsteps pulled my attention down the hall. At first, I thought it was just another student running late. But then I saw who it was.

Salis. Concern etched across his face, and beside him—another guy with the same look. Handsome in that unfair genes way, but what caught me more was the mark on his arm. The same as Salis. Vampire, without question.

A crease pulled at my brow. The numbers were growing, faster than I’d realized. And from the way both of them looked, their concern wasn’t random.

It was aimed straight at me and Xylar.

My grip on my phone tightened, a ripple of unease running through me. If something had happened last night… if this was connected… Riley’s silence pressed heavier against my chest. And then, unprovoked and unwanted, Markham’s face surfaced in my mind—like a warning I should have seen coming.

Salis and the other guy skidded to a stop in front of us, both of them carrying the same look—like they had news but couldn’t decide which one of them should be the one to speak it. The air between us tightened, and I tried to break it before it strangled me.

“Did something happen?” I asked, eyes on Salis. “Because you both look worried.”

He shook his head too quickly, the corners of his mouth twitching like the lie was fighting its way out. “What? No. Everything’s fine. Totally fine. Why would something bad have happened?”

I arched a brow. “Maybe because you were running toward us like madmen. Usually people don’t sprint down hallways unless something’s gone horribly wrong.”

My gaze slid toward Xylar, half-expecting him to back me up—or at least confirm I wasn’t imagining the tension. But when I looked at him, his attention wasn’t on me at all. His eyes were locked on the other guy, steel burning in the space between them, as if some offense had already been committed in the seconds since they arrived.

And from the way the guy stared right back at him, unflinching, I couldn’t shake the feeling they’d met before.

My attention snapped back to Salis before I could question the way Xylar and the other vampire were practically locked in some silent battle.

“We just didn’t want to be late for class,” Salis said quickly. “Especially not on Callen’s first day.”

His words were for me, but his eyes kept darting between Xylar and Callen—like something was being left unsaid.

“Wait,” I cut in, blinking. “There’s going to be another vampire attending St. Oswald?”

“Class?” Xylar repeated, his voice low with disdain. “Surely you don’t expect me to believe that’s the best use of his time. No… I’d think someone like Callen has far more pressing matters to occupy himself with. In fact, I’m certain of it.”

His voice dipped lower, words curling with a weight I’d never heard in a classroom. It wasn’t a comment. It was a warning. And it wasn’t for me.

Salis, to his credit, didn’t flinch. “Yeah, fun fact—Callen’s officially a transfer student. Turns out the estate isn’t exactly five-star living right now. Things are… let’s call it complicated. Someone should probably check before it blows up into a full-on disaster.”

Xylar’s gaze finally tore from Callen and cut toward Salis, the burn of it sharp enough to make even me want to look away. Callen’s shoulders loosened almost imperceptibly, like he’d been holding a breath too long.

The air between them was so sharp I almost flinched, even though their fight wasn’t with me. Still, part of me wondered how long it would take before I became collateral.

I frowned. “Complicated how?”

Salis only shrugged, throwing on his best grin. “You know vampires. Drama’s kind of the hobby. Nothing you need to stress over.”

But his brows betrayed him, lifting in that way that meant he was anything but carefree. His grin stayed in place, but his eyes kept flicking toward Xylar like he was counting seconds until he could walk away.

Before I could press again, Callen finally spoke, voice calm but steady.“Still, some drama deserves privacy. He and I will speak when the moment’s right.”

The words landed heavier than they should have, like an invisible line had been drawn and I was standing on the wrong side of it. To me, it sounded like a vampire throwing weight around. But from the way Xylar’s gaze sharpened, I knew there was more I wasn’t hearing.

Salis jumped in fast, as if to cover the crack Callen had just let slip.

“Anyway, we should probably get to class before the bell makes it obvious we’re late. Melissa, you don’t want to start a record, right?” His eyes flicked from Xylar to me, pointed. “We should go.”

“Wait—hold on, you can’t just drop that and drag me off—” I tried, but Salis was already guiding me down the hall, his hand firm on my arm.

And when I glanced at him, I caught the look he gave Xylar. A look that promised the conversation wasn’t over.

I didn’t know what they were hiding, but I planned to find out—about the new vampire, about his connection to Xylar, about whatever the three of them thought they could keep from me. It wasn’t even five hours into my morning, and already my “normal” was being swallowed whole by everything that wasn’t.

When I glanced back, Xylar was still glaring at Callen, irritation carved sharp into his expression before he finally pulled him away in the opposite direction. A weight pressed down in my chest, the kind that whispered I wouldn’t be seeing Xylar again today.

And if Xylar was being pulled into it, then maybe Riley already had been too.

The thought sank its claws in, and no matter how I tried to shake it, I couldn’t. Riley had a way of finding the edges of trouble. And this time, I was terrified she’d found more than she could crawl back from.

✨ That’s the beginning—but only a glimpse of what’s coming in Crown of the Faithless.

 The choices Melissa faces in this book will redefine what it means to fight for love, for legacy, and for survival in Blackmoor.