Chapter 18 A Threat To Vampire King

• Author’s POV — The Escape
• The library quakes with the echo of power long gone.Shattered glass glitters like fallen stars on the floor, the air thick with the scent of old paper and burned magic. The Shadow King’s presence lingers — cold, heavy, alive in the silence he leaves behind.
• King Alaric collapses against a marble pillar, breath ragged, one hand gripping his chest. Shadows curl around his feet like dying smoke.