A Rival's Claim

(Kaelen’s POV)

The night stretched long and unbearable.

I sat in my studio, canvas untouched. My brush hovered in mid-air, paralyzed by the chaos in my head. Nothing I painted made sense, every stroke turned into a meaningless smear. My muse was gone.

No, she wasn’t gone. She was the cause of it.

Neva.

Her image taunted me from the half-finished painting resting against the far wall. Her eyes, cap