Julia 06.09.2025, Saturday, 10 AM I barely managed to shake the sleep from my head when a message popped up. Mr. Ashford knows my schedule so well. I’d told him not to bother me before 9:30, yet he waited until 10, knowing I’d rather still be asleep. I could easily sleep until noon, but soon my roommate would be knocking. It’s Saturday, which means cleaning the flat. The message, however, had me wide awake within seconds....

He’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a free evening and no responsibilities. If it wasn’t for Anatoly, he surely would spend it sleeping. His friend didn’t let him rot in bed and dragged him along to the same tavern as a year ago. The door creaked open to a man carved by war—not sharpened or hardened, just broken, stitched back together by luck and liquor. They dragged him out three hours after the shattered bat...

The Nightshade’s Rest was the first place he heard the name of the demonic being said to dwell far from the hustle of cities or any honest road. Dorian had come there for a drink and some company, after nights spent cold and sleepless without a roof over his head. He’d spent his last coin on a mug of stale ale, watching the women flirt with guests, trying to earn a little extra before sunrise. One patron sitting nearby, w...

Anatoly leaned in, grinning over a mug of frothy ale. “Come on, mate. I know you’ve never done this before,” he rasped, his voice coarse and breath reeking of stale beer. “It’s been, what, three weeks since we got back to the city? You really need to finally get your rocks off.” He slapped his hand on Bram’s shoulder, nearly causing him to spill his beer. Bram shot him a look and got an amused grin in response. “No,” he m...