The heavy wooden doors creaked as Zoe pushed them open, the throne room yawning before her like a cavernous maw.
She stepped cautiously inside, her eyes narrowing as she adjusted to the dim lighting.
She expected something monstrous—something out of the nightmares that had chased her through the Shard they'd encountered so far.
Instead, her eyes fell on a figure lounging casually on a grand, shadow-draped throne.
He looked almost perfect, too perfect.
A finely tailored outfit that belonged in some royal court, hair that seemed to fall in perfect waves, and a charming, almost boyish smile that radiated confidence.
He looked like he had walked straight out of a romance novel, and that in itself put Zoe on edge.
He inclined his head slightly, his eyes locked onto hers.
"I am Aden," he said, his tone dripping with charm. "Ruler of this domain, and soon, perhaps, the ruler of much more."
