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Blood dripped from my knuckles and I listened as tiny droplets splattered against the marble floor, the sting of the cuts flaring through my hand.

I needed to find a way out of this bond.

My eyes scanned over the broken glass scattered in the sink and as fragmented pieces of my face looked back at me. An idea popped into my head.

I bolted into the bedchamber.

My hands frantically pulled open the doors to the linen closet and I pulled everything out of it. Sheets, pillowcases and towels cascaded onto the floor in a flurry of green and gold.

First, I covered every mirror and gleaming object with even the slightest reflection in the bedchamber then moved to the sitting room. I pulled the curtains hanging from the windows and doors shut, blocking out the morning sun that had just begun fully flowing through and illuminating the room. I couldn’t risk any reflections.

My hands scrambled for another sheet.

Pulling it free from the other fabrics, I pushed the papers from the coffee table and draped it over the glittering marble surface.

A glint caught my eye from the corner.

I whirled around and spotted it—the crystal decanter on the sideboard, winking menacingly in the dim light that snuck through the crack in the curtains. In two strides I was there, snatching a pillowcase to cast over the traitorous vessel.

“Have you gone mad?”

I spun to see Wren standing in the doorway eying the space with utter concern plastered on his face.

I lifted a single finger to my lips to quiet him then ran to Landers desk, pulling open and digging through draws for parchment and a quill. Scrolls and books collided to the floor as my fingers frantically scribbled over the paper, my chest heaving from the adrenaline coursing through my blood.

Cain is listening, watching. Stables.

The quill clattered to the table as I rushed back to Wren and pushed the note in his hand. Wet curls flew over my shoulder as I turned from him, hurrying to my bedchamber and pulling on any clothes I could see. Snatching my belt of daggers from my bedside table, I began strapping them to my chest as I rushed back to the doorway.

Wren looked even more perplexed now than before, the lines of his tired face deepening as he opened his mouth to speak again, but I shushed him.

My fingers wrapped around his forearm as I tethered us to Nithra’s stable, and scanned our surroundings for anything—everythingthat could be used against us. The blade of Wren’s sword shimmered in the light and I groaned.

Weapons weren’t even safe.

My fingers worked at a rapid pace to unbuckle my belt of daggers as I snatched the sword from Wren’s side.

“Cin, what are yo—”

“Shhh,” I hissed, as I stalked over to the worn wooden doors and tossed the weapons out.

The doors slammed at my back as a weighted breath slipped from my mouth.

“We can talk now,” I said, pacing back and forth in front of him, unable to stand still.

“What is going on? Who the hell is Cain?” He waved his hand toward me in confusion.

My hands dragged over my face, rubbing into my skin as I tried to focus.

There was so much information split between our group that needed sharing.

“Landers’s brother. And, apparently, my mate.” The words were bitter as they rolled off my tongue, my tone a perfect reflection of the taste. “He was with the Fallen Ones when we woke them. I don’t know what sick joke the universe is getting at but when he stepped out of the passage our mating bond snapped into place.”

Wren’s brows furrowed, his head shaking back and forth as he took a step toward me. “Okay . . .” I could hear the gears turning in his head just from looking at him. “And all the sheets over everything in your rooms? What was that about?”

“He showed up in my mirror.” I threw my hands up and scoffed as I kept walking back and forth in front of him, clouds of dust gathering under my boots. “He just appeared there, said it had something to do with the bond—listening to its pull and using some type of magic to appear to me.”

“Okay, Cin,” Wren said, his voice stern as he clapped his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to stop pacing. “Take a breath.”