daughter's tiny fist. The infant slept fitfully in her arms, her skin shimmering with faint, feverish light. *Marked*, the

he curse was gone, but its absence left scars-pale, jagged lines where his tattoos had once w

g the child. "It's tied to her.

gleaming. "Then kill it *with* the shard. The pack won't ha

child stirred, her whimper silencing the crowd. Golden light spilled from her tiny fingers, coa

quietly, staring at the phantom

he fae king nearly destroyed u

daughter awoke with a cry, her light flaring brighter. The s

m, the sk

wned figure stood at its edge, his gaze burning through the rift. *"You cannot hide,

the pack scattered. The rift snapped shut, but the figure's laug

the shard from the child's grip. It scorch

fingers blistering. "I'm n

ched sky. "That *thing* isn't here

ra's resolve wavered. But before she could speak, Jarek-the

anted. "The trees...

In the distance, flames danced-not orange, but *

stood a silhouette

camp. The figure steps forward, his voice a molten rumble:

nto grotesque shadows. Lysandra clutched her daughter tighter, the void-shard searing her

ned figure striding through the inferno. His footsteps left smo

side snarled. But its form flickered-fur melting into smoke, eyes bleeding crim

arm. "Give me the shar

u," she said,

e than th

t. The flames consumed the specter in seconds, but its howl morphed into something guttural, *hungry*. Th

magic," Kael said, voice t

-streaked face. Then, she thrust the shard into Ka

d around the shard, the child's pha

owy claws slashed her arm. Blood dripped onto the

ure laughed. *"The he

pped his fingers. The wolf disintegrated, its ashe

lunged, but Kael

a tr

ded. The flame-crowned figure stretched out hi

ard, fangs bared. "

Lysandra's magic erupted, silver roots entangling the disse

head. *"Stubborn. Let

ched hi

heir screams choked off as they collapsed into ash. The p

"Take it! Take the da

t the shard slipped from his g

flickered. The v

th

the pack, nor t

riu

scorched, eyes blazing with rage. "You owe me, m

e seized the shard and hu

rld ex

ashes. But when the smoke clears, the child is gone-and in her place stands Dariu

with me,"* he sneers, va

rld bu

ae wings glinting like shattered glass in his arms. The flame-crowned figure roared, his crown

shoulder. "We ne

erupting in a storm of silver

ring embers like dying stars. She grappled with him, her hands blistering against his fier

no match for the primordial force-until the pack surged forward, fangs and cl

after Darius's scent. She found him at the forest's edge, t

andra hissed, magic c

e infant's throat. "You owe me a debt,

serpent's ruby eye.

e," she said, v

r li

the dagger aside. The child fell, her wings fluttering wildl

of light

into the flames and sent Kael skidding across the ash. Lysandra collaps

uted. "Her magic-it'

d. Trees split, roots rising like skeletal hands, and the sky cracked o

pered, reaching t

ose from the embers, his crown

ty. She pressed her forehead to her daughter's, tears mingling with

en

the unth

child into Kael's ar

dened. "Wha

owed, witchlight and wolf magic me

s flared, slicing his chest. He curs

to face the co

" she snarled.

ic deto

gone-only a scorched wolf pendant remains. Miles away, Kael collapses, the child's wings withering into scars as s

purrs. *"Let's ma