The Craving in Slumber

Contents Author’s Note Playlist Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 The Beauty in Scars Teaser Extras Ruthless Letters Sneak Peek Cure Bound Sneak Peek Also by M.L. Philpitt Acknowledgments About the Author The Craving in Slumber (Fractured Ever Afters #2) Copyright © 2023 by M.L. Philpitt All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Warning: This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Cover Designer: Cat Imb, TRC Designs Editing and Proofreading: Rebecca Barney, Fairest Reviews Editing Services Formatting: M.L. Philpitt The Craving in Slumber is book 2 of The Fractured Ever Afters series. It takes place after book 1, and while this can be read as a standalone, there is an overarching plot that will carry over to book 4, which starts in The Hunt in Elusion. Therefore, it is recommended you read the books in order. This book has content some people may find triggering. Please visit this link for the list of triggers. Feel free to contact me with any questions. If you’ve read The Hunt in Elusion, you’ll know the eldest Corsetti son, Hawke, will be making an appearance in this book. Hawke’s story is Burning Notes, book 4 of my Captive Writings series. This book has been written to be separate from that series, and other than character crossover, it is not required to read Captive Writings. If you want Hawke’s story directly from himself, you will find it in Burning Notes. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to reach out. Note, I’m Canadian. I write using Canadian/UK spelling. This means words will have U’s in them, or double LL’s. (colour, flavour, signalling, etc.) These are not typos. That’s all. Happy reading! “Butterflies” by Zendaya “Marionette” by Antonia “Devil in Her Eyes” by Bryce Savage “I Hate Everything About You” by Three Days Grace “My Type (Little Attitude)” by Bryce Savage “Addicted” by Saving Abel “Better Than Me” by Hinder “I’ll Make You Love Me” by Kat Leon “like that” by Bea Miller “Earned It” The Weeknd “I Did Something Bad” by Taylor Swift “Can You Hold Me” by NF & Britt Nicole “Change (In the House of Flies)” by Deftones “Sacrifice” by Black Atlass & Jessie Reyez “i’m yours” by Isabel LaRosa “Devotion” by Tullia Benedicta “Soldier” by Samantha Jade “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Hayley Reinhart “Can’t Help Falling in Love - DARK” by Tommee Profitt & brooke “Chills - Dark Version” by Mickey Valen & Joey Myron Listen here For the brats Rosen Visiting Dad always brings me peace. For a little while, I’m not the head soldier of the Corsetti family, but simply a son. A regular person dropping by to see a family member. The black, rusted, beat-up Jeep parked in the driveway confirms he’s home, so I knock on the front door. I hadn’t mentioned I’d be coming by, in case I got called away last minute. Feet shuffle on the other side almost immediately, and the door I’ve walked through countless times growing up, swings open, revealing my father. His outfit of choice, a colourful wool cardigan, sweats, and slippers, always throws me, considering growing up, he was almost always dressed in clothing mirroring my own—all black and tactile. “Rosen!” he exclaims. “My boy, how are you?” His arms come up to hug me, which I return, using the moment to check the strength of his aging body. Dad retired a couple years ago, around the time Nico was made the underboss of the Corsetti family. After serving Lorenzo, Nico’s father, for so long, being in a highly-trusted position, the doctor said he’d be struggling to keep up with the demands of the Corsetti lifestyle if he kept going. So Lorenzo authorized an early retirement with a full pension in Dad’s name. Dad releases me and backs into the house, waving me forward. After a quick, habitual scan of the quiet Outremont neighbourhood, checking for anything amiss, I shut the door, kick off my shoes, and follow him into the living room. I drop onto the faded blue couch along one wall, examining the moderately-sized living room. Dad hasn’t changed much in this place from how Mom had it before she died a few years ago. Breast cancer took her from us much too soon. Dad’s determined to keep the environment the same, which means a house so tidy, it’s like living in a museum. “It’s been a few weeks since you last visited,” Dad comments, lifting a mug up from the table beside him. “How’s the Corsettis been?” “Well—” I grimace, thinking about the whirlwind of drama that fell upon Nico’s shoulders in such a short amount of time. First, his father demanding he find a fiancée worthy of the Corsetti name, and then our enemy’s stepdaughter, Della, trying to lure him to his death, who, despite everything, will soon be his wife. His younger sister is also coming home in a few days