The Clock and The Carnival (The Pawn and The Puppet series) Paperback – February 13, 2026

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”She never believed the stories of the Fallen Saint or Patient Thirteen.Those fictional warriors have always been her lovesick mother, holding the frail, weak hand of the father she'd never know.Sapphire S Valdawell is the daughter of Kane and Skylenna, the twin sister of Krimson Arthur Valdawell, and the longtime enemy of the future leader of her country.Niklaus Demechnef.Though Sapphire dreamed of a life far away from the name Valdawell, the dark biblical twist of fate had other plans for her.In a life-threatening encounter with members of the dwindling group of the Vexamen Breed, Sapphire learns that her mother and father's rare mental abilities are, in fact... hereditary.And to escape certain death, the void of time claims her, chaining Niklaus to her side whether they want the other's company or not.From the Emerald Lake Asylum to the Vexamen Prison, Sapphire is forced to witness the truth behind her parents' tragic tale. To live through their trauma, their soul-shattering love story, their everlasting power that would bring her to her knees and haunt her for years to come.But if Sapphire can skip through time in moments of duress, what happens when she's able to control where she goes and what she changes?Will warning Dessin of his imminent coma prove too dangerous to meddle with?Or is the clock her new toy and the landscape of time her new carnival?This is the final chapter of The Pawn and The Puppet series—the end of Dessin and Skylenna's story. Savour. Every. Word. Trigger Warnings: Abduction, captivity, imprisonment, psychological manipulation, gaslighting, delusional captor behavior, coerced bonding, trauma bonding undertones, forced proximity in captivity, physical torture, beatings, restraint, non-consensual medical procedures, injections, witnessing torture, threats of violence, fear-based manipulation, intense emotional distress, PTSD symptoms, dissociation, hallucinations, body horror, bruising and injuries, vomiting, fainting, carnival/circus horror elements, drug-induced sexual assault, chemical coercion (sexual), non-consensual, drug-facilitated arousal, intense body-shaming, eating disorders, fatphobia, and sexual contact. Read more