er skin. Her fingers trembled as they brushed her stomach-*flat, empty*.

ouette a thousand times. Her magic lay dormant, smothered by the fae

he rasped, voice

ysandra lunged, claws scraping uselessly ag

lting. "The heir is no longer yours, mongre

o her chest like a knife. Lysandra's

until her fingertips bled, searching for weaknesses. The wards flicke

oug

f, and primal instinct. The crystal cracked, spiderwebbing beneath her.

ll exp

ng roots and bioluminescent fungi. The air reeked of decay and honeyed magi

rystal, following the sound. Th

of her daughter,

l of a wolf, fa

ae

eered

d her daughter's fading cries. The air thickened with the fae king's magic-sweet rot and starligh

a cradle of thorned vines hovered above a pool of liquid moonlight. Ins

ged, but a snarl f

s writhing like chains under his skin. His claws were outstretched

ra hissed, her

ted out. "The pa

*"He is mine now, little wolf. His curse, his p

st enough. Blood welled on her arm, and her magic flared-a silver whip

outed, parrying his next strik

ed him closer. "The pack is dying. The ki

ysandra's resolve hardened. She feinted left, then dove under Ka

rupted b

faces inches apart. For a heartbeat, his gaze cleared. *"Take her and run,"* he whi

against the wall, pinning her throat. "I'm

ht pulsed brighter-a beacon. With her last breath, she slammed her palm

toos *s

cracks split the curse's hold. The fae king

closed around her daughter-warm, alive, her tiny face glowing with

t seized her ankle, dragg

he fae king's laughter drowns his roar. The last thing she sees is her daughter's cradle vanish

ot emptiness-i

Kael's amber eyes flickering between rage and regret. The pool of moonlight had dissolved into a laby

voice swallowed by the ab

ded over a chasm of writhing shadows. The fae king stood beside it, his antlered cr

r fist against the

urred. *"In exch

ines, his tattoos blackened and bleeding. His wolf form thrashed,

," the king said. *"Relinquis

magic roile

watch h

but the mirrors multiplied, boxing her in. Reflections of Kael flickered-his

el: the wolf who betrayed you, or

silver and gold intertwin

nearest mirror, an

king. He flicked them aside, but the distraction was enough. Ly

ripped h

from a dozen wounds, hauled her backwar

t. The king's roar followed them as they fell, clut

h

mpac

d blood. Lysandra's daughter whimpered, unharmed, her tiny fing

now still, his breaths shallow. "The p

peak, the shard in her

te wasteland where skeletal trees clawed at a crimson sky. From it st

la

ad, gasped her name. *"Lys

ilhouette emerged-taller than the fae king, c

ewborn's void-shard dims, but the figure's voice booms acr

Lysandra's. For the fi