Sophia awoke to the soft glow of moonlight seeping through the spire windows, her back aching with a raw, burning pulse. She winced, shifting slowly, only to feel Lucian's hand catch her wrist gently.
"You shouldn't move too quickly," he murmured. "Your wings... they're still breaking through."
She met his eyes, bleary but steady. "They feel like blades beneath my skin."
"They are," Selene said, stepping into the chamber, her dark robes trailing behind her like smoke. "The wings of a goddess-fae are made of starlight and bone. They'll cut you open before they set you free."
Sophia groaned, collapsing back against the silken sheets. "That sounds like poetry meant to hurt."
Selene chuckled softly, setting a tray of glowing herbs on the nearby table. "Power always comes at a price. And you, girl, were never meant to pay it softly."
Lucian brushed strands of her hair away. "There's unrest in the court. Some of the nobles are already whispering about testing your loyalty."
"Let them try," Sophia muttered.
But Lucian didn't smile.
"They've sent a request to hold a royal feast in your honor," he continued. "To 'welcome' the mate of their prince. But we both know what it really is—a test."
Sophia sat up straighter, despite the pain. "A test of what?"
"Grace. Power. Control." Selene's tone sharpened. "And whether you can handle courtly venom without letting your magic rip this palace apart."
Sophia nodded. "Then I'll give them a show. They want a fae princess? I'll be their goddess."
Selene smiled with a flash of pride. "That's the spirit."
Later that evening, the palace shimmered with activity. Vampires of high rank filled the great hall in crimson and obsidian robes, their eyes glowing with curiosity and hunger. At the head of the room stood Lucian, garbed in black armor etched with ancestral runes. And beside him—Sophia.
She wore a deep violet gown, its back cut low to accommodate the searing lines splitting her skin, where translucent wings had begun to emerge like glass breaking under moonlight. Her hair cascaded down her back in thick waves, glowing faintly. She looked ethereal—untouchable.
Gasps echoed when she entered. The nobles bowed, but some did not rise fully, clearly marking their defiance.
One of them, Lord Kael, stepped forward with a smirk. "Your presence blesses us, Princess. Or shall we call you Goddess now?"
Lucian's gaze sharpened, but Sophia responded coolly. "Call me whatever makes your fear easier to swallow."
A few in the crowd chuckled nervously. Kael's smile tightened.
"I hear your wings have begun to grow. Fascinating. But tell me…" He circled her slowly. "Can they protect you? Or are they just for show?"
Sophia raised her chin. "Would you like to find out?"
Energy pulsed through the hall. Lucian moved beside her, but she lifted a hand, stopping him.
Kael reached for her, mockingly offering a rose-black goblet. "Prove to us your strength. Drink the blood of the fallen king—a rite of the vampire courts."
The blood of a corrupted monarch. Poisonous. A test.
Sophia met his challenge head-on. She took the goblet with steady hands, raised it to her lips, and paused.
Then, with fire burning in her golden eyes, she tipped it—draining the cursed blood in one long swallow.
Gasps echoed. Kael's smirk faltered.
Sophia handed the goblet back. "Tastes like desperation."
Lucian grinned, sharp and proud. "She passed your test. Now go crawl back into your crypts."
The hall buzzed with murmurs, but no one dared speak against her again that night.
Later, alone on a moonlit balcony, Sophia leaned into Lucian's chest, her wings twitching with fresh pain.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said, voice low.
"I had to," she whispered. "They needed to see I'm not afraid."
Lucian kissed the top of her head. "They'll come for you anyway."
"I know." She turned to face him, fierce and aching. "Let them come."
And beneath them, the vampire kingdom stirred with awe and dread—for the goddess of blooming flame had arrived, and she was not here to be tamed.