Elara's POV

I could not stop shaking.

Lucien brought me back to his private quarters and poured wine into a glass with hands steadier than mine. I sat on the edge of a chair and tried to process what Seraphine had said.

Breeding experiments. Genetic extraction. A new race of hybrid monsters with my blood as foundation.

"Drink." Lucien pressed the glass into my hands. "It will help with the shock."

I drank and the wine burned going down but did nothing to warm the cold terror in my ...