Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 157: Into the Eternal Twilight

The interior of the Shadow Carriage was bigger than Primrose’s entire first apartment back on Earth.

It was upholstered in crushed black velvet, smelled faintly of ozone and old books, and—most importantly—it was soundproof. Which was a blessing, because Vali had been asking Are we there yet? every four minutes for the last two hours.

"No," Vesper (the Crow-kin butler) rasped from his perch near the door. He was sitting perfectly still, like a gargoyle, with his eyes closed.

"What about now?" Vali asked, pressing his nose against the dark glass.

"No."

"How about now?"

Vesper’s eye twitched. "If you ask again, little wolf, I will turn this carriage around."

"You can’t," Jasper pointed out, looking up from a book he had stolen from Lucien’s side table. "We are refugees fleeing a tactical bombardment. Turning around would be strategically unsound."

Vesper opened one black eye and stared at the snake boy. "I see why My Lord likes you. You are equally exhausting."

Primrose sat near the window, watching the world outside change. They had left the rolling hills of the Capital hours ago. Now, the terrain was becoming jagged. The trees were getting taller, their bark turning from brown to a bruised purple-black. The sky was disappearing behind a canopy so thick it choked out the sun.

Caspian was dozing next to her, his arms crossed. Even asleep, he looked regal. Primrose reached out and smoothed a wrinkle in his velvet coat.

"You are worrying," Lucien said softly.

Primrose looked across the carriage. The Panther Duke was awake. His violet eyes were glowing in the dim light of the cabin.

"I’m not worrying," Primrose lied. "I’m just... processing. My wedding cake exploded, my house is a target, and I’m currently traveling in a gothic uber to a place called the Obsidian Jungle. It’s a lot for a Tuesday."

Lucien’s lips quirked in a faint, rare smile.

"It is Wednesday, actually."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"You are safe here, Primrose. My territory is not... warm. It is not kind. But it respects power. And you," he glanced at her tails, "have plenty of that."

Suddenly, the carriage dipped.

"Brace yourselves," Vesper announced. "We are crossing the Veil."

The air pressure inside the cabin dropped. Clover squeaked and covered her long rabbit ears. Orion yawned, his ears popping.

Outside the window, the sunlight vanished completely.

It wasn’t like nightfall. It was like driving into the mouth of a cave. The trees became colossal—ancient redwoods made of black stone and iron-hard wood. The leaves were so dense that the world below was plunged into a permanent state of twilight.

But it wasn’t pitch black.

Bioluminescence took over. Massive mushrooms glowing neon blue grew on the tree trunks. Ferns that shimmered with silver light covered the forest floor. Strange, pale moths the size of dinner plates fluttered through the air.

"Whoa," Vali breathed, his nose squashed against the glass. "It glows!"

"The Nightshade Territory," Lucien said, a hint of pride in his voice. "The sun burns the flora here. We live by the light of the earth and the moon."

Silas wasn’t looking at the pretty lights.

The little panther was sitting between Arjun and Jasper. As the carriage descended deeper into the dark, Silas began to shake.

It was a small vibration at first. Then, he curled in on himself. He pulled his knees up. He covered his head with his arms.

He was five years old. And the last time he had seen these trees, his mother was screaming.

Primrose moved to get up, but Arjun was faster.

The Tiger Cub didn’t say anything. He just reached into his pocket (which was miraculously still full of snacks despite the explosion) and pulled out a piece of dried mango.

He shoved it into Silas’s hand.

"Eat," Arjun ordered gently. "Tactical rations."

Silas didn’t move.

Vali looked away from the window. He saw Silas shaking. The wolf puppy didn’t understand trauma, but he understood fear.

"Dog pile!" Vali announced quietly.

He flopped over, draping his upper body across Silas’s legs like a heavy, warm blanket.

"Get off," Jasper hissed, though he didn’t push Vali away. Instead, Jasper shifted closer, pressing his shoulder firmly against Silas’s side. "Your body heat is unregulated, Vali. You are sweating on me."

"I’m guarding him," Vali grunted.

Clover hopped off her seat and squeezed in on Silas’s other side, holding up her carrot plushie. "Mr. Carrot will watch the shadows, Si-Si. He has good eyes."

Buried under a pile of tiger, wolf, snake, and rabbit, Silas stopped shaking. He lowered his arms just enough to peek out. He wasn’t alone in the dark anymore. He had a pack.

Primrose sat back, her heart swelling so much it hurt.

"They’re good kids," Jax whispered from the corner, where he was polishing his sword for the tenth time.

"The best," Primrose agreed.

The carriage slowed. The dense forest opened up into a massive clearing.

And there it was.

The Crepusci Estate.

It didn’t look like a home. It looked like a fortress carved out of a single mountain of obsidian. Spires twisted toward the non-existent sky like black needles. Gargoyles perched on every ledge. A moat of dark, still water surrounded the main keep.

It was beautiful, intimidating, and absolutely terrifying.

The carriage landed in the courtyard with a heavy thud. The skeletal horses snorted blue fire.

Vesper opened the door. "We have arrived. Mind the step. And the moss. The moss is carnivorous."

"What?" Leonora asked, freezing with one foot out the door.

"A joke, Lady Leonora," Vesper rasped deadpan. "Mostly."

The group spilled out into the courtyard. The air was cold and smelled of damp earth and crushed mint.

Caspian stepped out and immediately frowned. "It is dry. The air lacks moisture." He waved a hand, and a small personal cloud formed over Orion’s head, misting the little fish prince with water.

"Better," Orion sighed.

Rurik jumped down, his boots crunching on the black gravel. He looked up at the spiky castle. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Cozy," Rurik grunted sarcastically. "Where do you keep the torture dungeon? The guest bedroom?"

"They are separate wings," Lucien said, stepping down.

As soon as Lucien’s boots hit the ground, the atmosphere changed.

The massive double doors of the estate swung open silently.

Two lines of servants marched out. They weren’t like the warm, bustling maids of the Tiger Palace. These servants wore long grey robes, walked without sound, and kept their heads bowed.

They lined up perfectly on either side of the entrance.

"Welcome home, Your Grace," they chanted in unison. Their voices were hollow, echoing off the stone walls.

Primrose shivered. It felt less like a greeting and more like a funeral rite.

Jax stepped closer to Luna, his hand drifting to his sword. "Creepy," he muttered.

"Shh," Luna whispered, though she was gripping her frying pan tightly.

Lucien didn’t smile. He didn’t nod. He stood straighter, his face settling into a mask of cold, imperious authority. He wasn’t Lucien the uncle right now. He was Duke Crepusci.

"Vesper," Lucien said, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "Why is the Staff of Night not here to greet me?"

Vesper bowed low. "The Regent Council... felt it was unnecessary, My Lord. They are currently in the War Room. They did not expect you to return so... suddenly."

"I see," Lucien said softly. The temperature in the courtyard dropped ten degrees. Frost began to creep up the black pillars.

"They think I am dead," Lucien murmured to Primrose. "Or they hoped I was."

He turned to the group.

"Go inside. Vesper will show you to the East Wing. It is the most secure."

"And you?" Primrose asked, grabbing his arm.

Lucien looked at the main keep. His eyes were burning violet.

"I have to go remind my cousins that a Panther does not lose his territory just because he went for a walk."

Vesper led them inside. The interior was just as grand and gloomy as the outside. Black marble floors, silver chandeliers with purple flames, and portraits of stern-looking ancestors who all seemed to be judging Primrose’s ruined dress.

Silas walked right in the middle of the group, holding Primrose’s hand on one side and Vali’s paw on the other.

As they passed a large mirror in the hallway, Silas flinched.

"Don’t look," Silas whispered.

"It’s just a mirror, cub," Rajah said gently.

"Not a mirror," Silas mumbled, burying his face in Primrose’s skirt. "Window."

Primrose looked at the mirror. For a second—just a split second—she thought she saw something move inside the reflection. A shadow that didn’t belong to any of them.

She blinked, and it was gone.

Cassian stopped. He touched the glass with one finger. A small rune glowed blue on his fingertip.

"Scrying spell," Cassian noted, his tone purely academic. "Crude, but effective. Someone is watching us."

"Let them watch," Rurik growled, cracking his knuckles. "I look great."

Vesper stopped at a set of heavy wooden doors.

"The East Wing Guest Suites," Vesper announced. "I have prepared the Nursery for the young masters."

He opened the door.

To everyone’s surprise, the room was... warm.

Someone had lit a massive fireplace. There were thick, fluffy rugs on the floor. The beds were piled high with pillows. It looked like a safe haven in the middle of a nightmare castle.

"I thought... the children would appreciate the light," Vesper muttered, looking embarrassed.

"You softie," Leonora grinned, patting the crow on the shoulder.

The kids immediately swarmed the room.

"I call top bunk!" Vali yelled, launching himself at a bed.

"I require the bed furthest from the draft," Jasper announced, pulling out a sanitizing wipe from his pocket.

Arjun began checking the windows for locks. "Perimeter check!"

Jax and Luna stood by the door, looking unsure.

"There are rooms for you as well," Vesper said to Jax, eyeing his plain clothes with disdain. "Though I suppose you will want to stay close to the rabbit."

Jax blushed. "I... uh... yes. Please."

Primrose stayed in the hallway. She looked back toward the main stairs, where Lucien had gone.

"He’s walking into a trap, isn’t he?" Primrose asked Vesper.

Vesper folded his wings.

"The Regent Council has ruled the Obsidian Jungle for five years, Lady Primrose. They enjoyed the power. They enjoyed the wealth. They told the people that Duke Lucien abandoned them."

Vesper looked at her with his beady black eyes.

"Now he has returned. And he has brought outsiders. They will try to eat him alive."

Primrose narrowed her eyes. Her Green Tail twitched. A small, thorny vine curled around her wrist.

"Well," Primrose said, smoothing down her soot-stained dress. "It’s a good thing I brought my own teeth."

She looked at Caspian.

"Watch the kids?" she asked.

Caspian sighed, leaning against the wall and summoning his trident. "Go. Remind them why they should fear the Fox. I will ensure no ghosts disturb the nap time."

Primrose grinned. She turned and marched down the hallway, following the trail of shadows Lucien had left behind.