Chapter 1
Witchcraft runs in my blood. For generations, the Hamilton family has served the Devereauxs, the the country, performing an annual rite to alter their cursed fate.
In this generation, the burden of the craft fell to me, and me alone.
althiest dynasty in
The moment my final exam ended on Friday, I was whisked into a waiting Maybach, heading for the old Devereaux esta- te. But as I stepped out of the car, a hand tangled viciously in my hair, yanking my head back.
“You little slut! Isn’t it enough you’re seducing my fiancé at school? You had to chase him all the way to his family ho-
me? Don’t you know your place!”
“I swear, if I don’t ruin that pretty face of yours today, my name isn’t Victoria Sterling!”
I
A searing pain ripped through my scalp as I was thrown to the ground. Victoria’s friends descended on me, kicking and
punching, their threats echoing in my ears.
One.c
of them stomped on my wrist. I heard the sickening crack of it breaking.
The bone tore through the skin.
But if I couldn’t perform the rite today, the entire Devereaux family would be consumed by a torrent of blood and disast-
- er.
1
Both of my hands were shattered, crushed by a brick. The splintered bones of my wrists jutted out from the flesh, the
agony so intense it stole my breath.
Victoria’s friends stared, their faces pale with shock. They hadn’t expected their little “lesson” to go this far.
They had no idea the real consequences had yet to begin.
A thousand years ago, a curse was laid upon the Devereaux line. Every child, for generations, has been born with a fatal affliction. Only through my family’s witchcraft, an annual defiance of heaven’s decree, have they managed to survive.
The magic was passed down, but I was the only one in my generation to receive its full power. Two years ago, the craft‘ s backlash claimed my parents, leaving me an orphan.
Charles Devereaux, the family patriarch, was a man of modern sensibilities. He’d been skeptical that a young woman like me could rewrite his family’s destiny. During one rite, he deliberately altered the placement of several altars.
The next day, his son, Caleb, was in a car accident that shattered both his legs. Doctors across the country were baffled by his condition. Simultaneously, several of his company’s largest projects were flagged for catastrophic errors. The Devereaux empire faced a crisis unlike any before.
He had no choice but to hire me again, this time for a fortune.
Only after I had completed the ritual did their fortunes begin to turn.
From that day on, I became the Devereauxs‘ most sacred protector. Barely an adult, I held more power in their house than anyone. To secure my loyalty, Charles had even transferred half of the company’s shares to my name. The lives and fortunes of over a hundred family members rested on my shoulders.
And now, with my hands broken, they were all facing ruin.
Victoria, oblivious to the gravity of her actions, was still preening over me.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Seducing Caleb at school is one thing, but following him home? I’m here
today as his fiancée to meet the Devereauxs‘ special protector. You dare ruin this for me? I’ll make you regret you were
ever born!”
The pain was so blinding I couldn’t speak. The sheer stupidity of it all left me breathless. Caleb had only been passing messages from his father, showing me financial statements so I could see my own earnings and discussing the plac-
ement for tonight’s altars. The celestial alignments changed each year, and the rite had to adapt.
How had that become me seducing him?
I tried to explain, but just then, the estate’s butler emerged from the villa. The scene before him drained the color from
his face.
“Miss Hamilton! Who did this to you?” he gasped. “It’s over… it’s all over! What are you all standing there for?
