She taught Elle everything she knows. But not everything she hid.
She was told the mystic saved her. Raised her. Loved her.
None of it was true.
Elle has always trusted her instincts until they began leading her in circles. Raised by a mysterious mystic woman known as The Countess, Elle grew up in a world of rituals, secrets, and carefully controlled truths. The mystic claimed to be her mother. But she's not. She's something far more powerful... and far more dangerous.
Trapped in a web of time-warping magic, Elle begins to unravel the lies that shaped her life. As memories fracture and realities shift, she discovers that her so-called mother has been using her for years. Feeding off Elle's innate intuition to fuel her own dark magic.
Now, pursued by creatures who belong to no single realm: vampires hunting in shadows, fae whispering secrets from behind mirrors, reptilian beings with ancient grudges, and demons lurking just out of sight. Elle must reclaim her identity before she disappears into one of the mystic's illusions forever.
But breaking free isn't just about escape. It's about becoming the force she was never meant to be.
Elle, full of quiet power and a heart that won't shut off. The Countess, born from a wound so old, it became wisdom. They orbit each other like ancient moons that forgot they once shared a sun. And every time they meet, there's a choice:
Love or freedom; Dark or light.Elle, full of quiet power and a heart that won't shut off. The Countess, born from a wound so old, it became wisdom. They orbit each other like ancient moons that forgot they once shared a sun. And every time they meet, there's a choice: Love or freedom; Dark or light.
A novel by Melissa Skene