ked lace of her gown, the fabric scratchy against her collarbone where Darius's sigil once lay. Now, only a scar remained, pale

. They thought her a docile trophy, Darius's pet hybrid. They didn't see th

sharp-tongued cousin, loomed beside her, goblet of bloodwine in hand. Her gaze droppe

t into her palms. "

? Darius would sooner bed a *human*." She leaned closer, her breath reeki

ould retort, the

mson regalia swallowing the torchlight. His eyes-crimson as

urred, voice ech

e a noose. She climbed the steps, her legs leaden. When s

g, my dear," he murmured, to

iked. "Dariu

e from her neck. The scar glared under

led throug

, loud enough to silence th

surged, silver light flickering at her finge

alized too late, was

stones as the vampire court swarmed behind them like carrion birds. Torches hissed in the wind, their flames casting

slamming her against the altar. His fingers dug into her throat, cold

r bones, but the heat of her magic writhed beneath her skin,

glowing white-hot. The sigil etched into its tip mirrored the scar on her c

ourt what happens t

ressed into

's scream tore through the night, raw and primal. The crowd roared-some

wo

xploded from her palms, shattering the brand into molten shards. The sigi

rfect mask slipping into shoc

er breath ragged. The scar was gone. In its place, raw, glowi

owed, a mix of fury and fascinati

ndra did

ra

n frost as she raced toward the treeline. Behind

gic or her terror, she didn't know. Snow crunched underfoot, t

edge of the woods. The world spu

glowed in

ed from the shadows. Its fur was midnight bl

el

mbling in his chest. Lysandra's magic

knowing if he understood. "Do

air. Then, in the distance, h

epened. He bare

elenting. She clawed at the frozen earth, trying to drag herself away, but Kael's wolf loomed over her, his amber eyes blazing. For a hear

his throat, but it w

bsidian fur matted and smoking where Kael's claws tore through it. Two more lunged, fangs glinting. Lysandra pressed h

ed into her veins. Her witchlight flared-brighter, wilder-and she gasped as

e's shadow lifted from his eyes, replaced by something sharper:

oice rough and human-sounding, as if the

mmed back into place, contorting his body.

g her glowing palm to his heaving side. "I don't know

ael's convulsions stilled. His amber eyes locked

die here," she snapped, wincing as an

rning rumble in his chest, but his gaze dropped to her belly. A faint,

muttered. "It's *

blared in the distance-Darius

flattened. "

ave a c

erpents under his skin. Without a word, he hauled her into his arms, ignoring her protes

im, her cheek pressed against the scar over his heart. The child's light dimmed, but th

trees begin to bleed black sap, and a shadowed figure watches