The rain came sideways.

Mara pulled her coat tighter around herself as she struggled up the narrow path toward the lighthouse. Behind her, the sea roared against the cliffs, swallowing every sound except the pounding of her own heart.

She hadn't planned on coming here.

She hadn't planned on meeting him.

But plans had a way of becoming meaningless when the weather turned against you.

She reached the door and knocked.

Nothing.

She knocked again.

This time, the door opened.

The man standing behind it looked as though he'd been carved from the darkness itself.

Tall. Quiet. Unshaven. His dark eyes moved over her without saying a word.

Mara caught her breath.

"Are you going to let me freeze out here?"

His expression barely changed.

"You shouldn't be here."

She glanced over her shoulder at the storm.

"Trust me. I didn't exactly schedule the weather."

For the first time, something almost resembling amusement touched his face.

He stepped aside.

"Come in."

Mara crossed the threshold.

Warmth surrounded her immediately, along with the scent of woodsmoke and something unmistakably him.

She turned to thank him.

He was already watching her.

Neither spoke.

Outside, thunder shook the windows.

Inside, something else had begun.

And neither of them knew yet that this storm would change everything.

The ocean was the first thing Amina noticed.

It stretched endlessly beneath the moonlight, dark and beautiful, its waves whispering against the shore as if they were carrying secrets from another time.

She stood alone on the balcony of the hotel, her fingers wrapped tightly around the small object she'd carried halfway across the world.

It had belonged to her mother.

At least, that's what she'd been told.

The old pendant was heavier than it looked. Dark metal. Intricate markings. And on the back, carved so deeply into the surface that she could feel the letters beneath her thumb, was her family's name.

Amina had spent years believing her mother had died with all her secrets.

Now she wasn't so sure.

"You shouldn't be holding that."

The voice behind her made her turn.

He stood in the doorway.

Tall. Impossibly calm. Dressed in black, with the kind of presence that made the room feel smaller.

Amina stared at him.

"Do I know you?"

"No."

His eyes dropped to the pendant.

"But I know you."

Something cold moved through her.

"How?"

Jabari stepped onto the balcony.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The sound of the ocean filled the silence between them.

Then he said quietly, "Your mother should never have sent that to you."

Amina's heart stopped.

"You knew my mother?"

Jabari's expression changed.

Only for a second.

But she saw it.

Fear.

"No," he said.

It was a lie.

And somehow, she knew it.

Three nights later, a man was found dead.

The police called it murder.

Amina called it impossible.

Because beside the body was a symbol.

The exact same symbol carved into the pendant her mother had left behind.

And Jabari was standing at the edge of the crowd.

Watching her.

Waiting.

Amina pushed through the people surrounding the crime scene.

"What is that symbol?" she demanded.

Jabari didn't answer.

"Jabari."

His eyes met hers.

"Go back to your hotel."

"Why?"

"Because this has nothing to do with you."

Amina looked toward the dead man's body.

Then back at him.

"Then why was my family's symbol left beside a murdered man?"

Jabari stepped closer.

Close enough that she could feel the heat of him.

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Because someone wants you to believe it does."

Amina swallowed.

"And what do you believe?"

He looked at her for a long moment.

"I believe you should leave Zanzibar tonight."

She should have listened.

Instead, she kissed him.

And somewhere beneath the sound of the waves, something ancient seemed to wake.

Because the next morning...

there was another body.

And this time, the message was written for Amina.

YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO FIND HIM.

THE BLOOD QUEEN: THE LOST SOUL

Queen Seraphina Hetherton has ruled a hidden vampire empire for centuries. Beautiful, powerful, and feared, she has learned that love is a dangerous weakness—especially when you are surrounded by people who would kill for your throne.

Her marriage to King Lucien is one of political convenience. To the outside world, they are the perfect immortal royal couple. Behind closed doors, however, Seraphina knows her husband does not love her. Lucien wants her empire, her bloodline, and the power that comes with the Hetherton throne.

Seraphina has spent centuries guarding another secret.

Elias Vale.

Once, Elias was the one person Seraphina loved without reservation. Their connection was deeper than desire and more powerful than blood. But their relationship ended in betrayal, violence, and a decision Seraphina has spent centuries regretting.

To save Elias, she helped erase his memories.

She never expected him to find his way back.

During a violent storm, Elias arrives at the gates of Hetherton Manor with no understanding of why the ancient estate feels strangely familiar. He has spent years plagued by dreams he cannot explain—blood on snow, a woman's voice calling his name, a crown, a burning castle, and the overwhelming feeling that someone is waiting for him.

Then he meets Seraphina.

The moment she sees him, the queen knows the impossible has happened.

Elias is alive.

But Elias doesn't remember her.

As he remains at the manor, fragments of his forgotten past begin returning. An ancient portrait. A mysterious ring. Hidden letters. Strange sounds beneath the house. And a locked room that seems to hold answers no one wants him to discover.

The more Elias questions Seraphina, the more difficult it becomes for her to maintain the lies that have protected him for centuries.

And their attraction returns with a force neither of them can control.

But Elias's return has consequences.

Lucien knows more about the stranger than he admits. He recognizes the threat Elias represents and begins quietly moving pieces across the royal court. While Seraphina struggles between protecting Elias and telling him the truth, enemies within the vampire empire begin closing in.

Because Elias isn't simply a lost vampire.

His blood carries a forgotten claim.

His soul is connected to Seraphina's.

And together, they may possess something ancient vampires have spent centuries trying to control—the power known as the Crown of Souls.

As the secrets of their past begin to surface, Seraphina must finally face the truth about what she did to the man she loved.

Elias must decide whether he can forgive the woman who stole his memories.

And both must discover who was truly responsible for tearing them apart.

Because Lucien may not be the greatest danger.

Something much older has been watching.

Something that fears what Seraphina and Elias could become together.

Their reunion was never supposed to happen.

Their love was never supposed to survive.

And now that the lost soul has found his way home...

the entire vampire kingdom may be forced to pay the price.