lyn and Alek returned to her apartment in silence, carrying the weight of Ilsa's fairy-tale threat

kettle to boil, her hands trembling despite her best effort. Alek

intense," Eve

low. "There's power in what she

his arms. "What d

down her cheek. "Potential. Something... ra

"That sounds poeti

e top of her

r the crystal.

the crystal toward him. "We prepare. We

d Mara? Do w

er's coming. Lena... might need

talk to them. I'll

begun to shift came at 3 AM-when L

eath the hallway light, eyes red, flood of

thing's wrong

ck to let her in.

e I work. Just... watching me. I tried to

ltered, heat flickering across he

ek asked. "A

ling. "He was smiling..

"Lena, you need to stay here

k. "Protect me? Yo

m not what he is. I m

en Lena shook her

and. "I know. But we

Evelyn sat beside Lena; Al

crystal. It pulsed in the faint lamplight. "It

eath caug

. "We fight

eavy breathing. She blinked across the room to s

" he whispered. "He'

om bed and moved to

ad. "Not yet. But

rituals, red-ink wards, more crystal shards, candle magic, h

outside the bedroom-a dark smear on the hardwood.

t footprints that seemed

Alek's arm.

Close. Far enough that

living room. Her eyes were h

on Lena's should

ok. "No-

ared in t

" she asked, coffe

ed. "He's he

her face fierce. "Th

en knife. Alek's ey

N

im, jaw set. "Yo

ture entrenched in Evelyn's blood. Te

what's need

ve. Ilsa had given them time; now it wa

. Crystals placed like salt grains. A circle of iron filings. Evelyn wore a

whisking away dust, opening curtains to let in wary gold li

eps, then silence. The crystal trembled

steady. Alek stood protective at her side. Lena knelt, fists

stal veil: low, mocking. "Is thi

: "With every

room. The air clicked

their guard. Exhaustion

eaned against the wall. Lena wep

idn't

e. Silence was the answer. But they al

through the open door like she underst

residue, talismans, four people s

sive,"

red smile. "Thanks

The artifice. What you're building here... is love. It's defiance.

at her. "So

true supernatural hatred the way you

me... tools. Blood herbs. Salt from three oceans

"Where will w

e of you will have to go into Casian

le

velyn wh

"He'll know.

carved with protective symbols, a small metal box to hold Casian's ash (the only way to denature his power).

ew Orleans' oldest cemetery-a place where

said. "It's a labyrin

s heart

ch. "This will light a path. But it

twisted iron blade

eathe

de; Mara, posture erupting protective stre

she said, "this is wh

f a crescent moon

il Lena gasped. Ahead, a figure stood in

si

smile, voice driftin

ped forwa

s darkened.

k, but to conjure: a swirl of r

d. She flicked it. The moment it burst, the crypt lit-revealing r

hed. "No tr

he iron blade

, immortal, draw steel in

orms stepped from the walls-l

lsa's wards held them

expl

woke each component of the ward, li

ng strange-old instinct-somethi

sending a wave of darkness-on

lade aflame. In the glow,

h forces beyond you

ard. "Only with

esit

all she