Page 6 of House of Demons and Bones (Shades of Ruin and Magic #5)

5

The Fallen Star

S he knew about the young lovers painting her as their villain.

They’d escaped to the place beyond her reach, thinking themselves clever.

She waited for the pain of betrayal to hit. She’d thought herself beyond such feelings, but the hurt made her want to raze everything. No, she wouldn’t touch this world, but she could destroy them both.

She closed her eyes for long seconds to get her emotions under control. She needed to focus on her true purpose. The Wheel of Fate had begun its final turn. The casualties would be devastating, like in any war. This wouldn’t be the war that ended all wars, but it would be the most crucial one.

Her thoughts drifted back to the young lovers.

Barbie matched his age and power. She was cunning, fierce, full of attitude and lies, and Killian was smitten and tried to hide it. They both plotted against her, thinking she was blind to them. Her ancient angelic eyes missed nothing. She sighed at their youth.

From above, Lilith’s vast ivory wings with ebony tips cut through the clouds. She surveyed Mist of Cinder below—its castles, lakes, forests, all six kingdoms, and Underhill. The magic had grown stronger and more vibrant with Barbie’s arrival.

The realm had feared the fading of magic. That’s why they’d started the Brides Selection, hoping to produce a ruler strong enough to bond with the realm’s power and preserve Mist of Cinder. She’d watched the supernatural races weaken over the centuries while humans rose and dominated with their technology and sheer number. If this last magical realm couldn’t hold its magic, it would become just another human territory.

After she’d bound the chaos heir and established the sixth house in Mist of Cinder, others began to fear her ambitions and her ascension to high power, saying that the demon queen’s rule would bring Hell to Earth.

Their fear amused her. They knew nothing of the true threat or the horror waiting at their door. Being misunderstood and judged didn’t bother her—no one had ever grasped her mind. But soon, everything would come to an end.

The High Queen’s crown was never her goal. She came for Ruin’s daughter, hidden in plain sight. Facing her own flesh felt strange, yet they remained strangers. She couldn’t risk attachment. The first phase of her experiment had come to pass, and she needed her emotional distance to ensure her grand scheme would succeed.

What wouldn’t she sacrifice for the greater good, for the safety of her starlit home?

Everyone knew the Queen's Suite awaited the chaos heir's bride. Only Lilith's bloodline could unlock its sealed doors. The oracle spoke of something hidden inside—a piece of prophecy she refused to reveal. A crossroad. A buried truth that would change everything.

Lilith had breached the House of Chaos’s wards and reached the red door. When she’d touched it, icy flames had scorched her hand, denying her entry.

“It’s not meant for you!” Ancient voices, older than even hers, had screamed through the cold flames. These beings shouldn’t be there. Monsters. Gods. Prisoners. “Only she enters. Only the daughter is welcome.”

Barbie was the only key to unlock the door and retrieve what Lilith needed, then she must take her place on the sacrificial altar like a lamb, destined for this great purpose.

Lilith searched herself for emotion, for pain, but found emptiness. Archangels didn’t feel the way mortals and immortals did.

The Wheel of Fate spun faster as Barbie drew closer to its center.

Lilith’s gaze tracked to Shades Academy, then the House of Mages, seeking her target. A small yet radiant figure—as bright as Lilith had been before her fall.

Lilith nodded. Soon, this would be history. She began her descent, her wings vanishing. Weightlessness gave way to crushing pressure. Gravity dragged her earthward.

She fell again.