en's

my palm ha

like a second heartbeat-ho

row path leading to the village square. The earth beneath my feet felt harder tod

ed to be the begin

was supposed

carried tension-c

ir stares like pinpricks against my b

urned th

ood isn'

n turned its

king. Not because

me still believed Luci

to my hair and said, "I don't care w

memory like it c

twilight sky. Elders lined the ceremonial stone, their faces grim. Behi

nter stoo

y one passed down from his father. The wo

es met

the eyes of t

war

cogni

dis

in the cold air, "you have completed the Blood Ceremony. Today,

ped fo

d held i

ained perf

motions. I reached for hope, bli

th

epped

nough for everyone to he

ds shat

t kind. It roared in my ears lik

thing came out. My puls

idn't ev

asked, my voice

ed over me,

your blood. You carry something unnatural-tainted. I cann

iced deeper t

e this," I said

"Until the thing i

th

me like I w

his arm. "Lu

way. "Don't

ulled children closer. Elders turned their

face. Shame. A

ouldn't. My feet were s

posed to b

pposed to

ge?" the Seeress ask

like ice. "No. The

rned

ike that,

ed. Not just by hi

ough the crowd like win

s cur

ould be

ng ruin if

e knives. And I

ackward, han

when I

eep in my chest,

e around me-bu

d softly bene

pu

pu

Ka

me like a heartbeat. The same feeling I had when h

here, he was

lp me... I

wasn't ju

s cho

stung wi

hind me-Lucien's mother, ma

ra

he woods. No

d behind me, until the stone pa

rees swallo

-

the tears started. I only knew the h

came in gasps. My skin felt to

g against the roots of an ancient tree. My fi

ying for Lu

hought I was. The one who bel

as go

else was wakin

-

est was

ld. The air held a strange stillness

lm glowed again-f

oked

felt

voice. N

sens

eading throu

re not

sed m

rkness, I

a

rushing mine. His gaze-intense, hau

resence-like he stood beh

me t

m his lips-but from so

w what I

-

e, the win

nger

com

but they carried me no

ard

hadn't cas

called to mine lik

ursed forest. I didn't know what Kael tru

knew

whatever power, curse,

't afra

d fel

hadn'

t

ev

s like whispered warnings. My breath came in sharp burst

r I went, the

ee-nev

seen. S

shoulders like a shawl of warmth in the chill. And just for

meone

e didn't try to tame

Ka

s like a prayer, even t

ruly rem

hing insi

flash of silver eyes in the dark. A memory that

ssing against a tree

I whispered to

ce ans

tly. Longingly. Like it was trying

ed it to

t to be afra

't move. The m

in my chest

ath st

at was

-

I should. Moonlight filtered through the branches in silver

e center, arms wrappe

en I f

to

vo

thing...

nt

ili

nk to the ground, dizzy

lids, he was

rm clouds. A scar cutting across his lip. A pres

a

dn't

ed at me lik

l from the ceremon

all

I hadn't dared

't made with

in the

aw his pain re

dimmed the lo

anding how-that I had alwa

s the first to

Ka

he first t

from

in si