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Panic claws at my throat, as I struggle against my bindings. With my hands bound, I cannot summon my magic.

Drusilla suddenly stiffens, nostrils flaring. Her dark eyes snap toward the sealed doors. “It seems your Fox is already here.”

CHAPTER 53

REN

Rowan and I race down the hallway as I allow the bond to guide me, following the source of my distress. Fear prickles down my spine, when we reach the throne room.

Two guards stand rigidly at attention on either side of the doors. Their eyes glow an eerie purple, unblinking and empty as they stare straight ahead, statues frozen mid-watch.

Rowan glances at the throne room and I nod. He reaches for the door handle. As soon as his hand touches the smooth metal, one of the guards snaps his head toward my brother.

Lightning fast, the guard charges forward. His eyes swirl with a purple glow as he attacks with inhuman speed and strength, sending Rowan flying back. He slams into the opposite wall with a sickening thud while the guard returns to his post, with the same blank stare, as if nothing happened.

“Rowan!” I rush to him, dropping to my knees at his side.

He’s breathing, thank the gods, but he’s out cold. Gritting my teeth, I look back at the doorway, now glowing with pulsing with dark magic.

Something or someone has enchanted the door and the guards. Dread fills me. Deep down, I already know the truth. This is the work of Drusilla. It must be.

Reaching up, I close my hand over the charm around my neck—the green gemstone pendant that allows me to cross nearly any ward.

The magical barrier hums angrily, crackling purple energy flaring as I step closer.

“I don’t know what we’ll find inside,” I whisper to Finik, still perched on my shoulder. “You should wait out here.”

Instead of climbing down, he digs his tiny claws into my skin and looks at the door, his dark eyes narrowing.

“All right, then,” I mutter. Taking a deep breath, I step forward and push the doors open.

The gemstone pendant glows bright, and heat washes over me as I slip through the magic barrier.

As soon as we step into the doorway, the sharp scent of licorice fills my nostrils, and I grit my fangs.

I was right. The Goblin witch is here.

The veil of dark magic falls away, and anger blisters through me as I enter the room.

Rapunzel’s parents are bound tightly to their thrones, thick vines twisted around their arms and legs, leaves covering their mouths to silence them.

Tristan is tied to a pillar, furious eyes blazing as he struggles against the bindings.

My stomach drops like a stone when I see Rapunzel. Her wrists are bound behind her back, eyes wide with fear. Beside her, gripping her arm firmly, is Theron, his eyes glowing with an unnatural purple light.

He’s under the witch’s control.

“Ren,” Rapunzel breathes, desperation in her voice.

Fury roars through my veins. I’ll end the witch for daring to harm my mate.

“If you come any closer, Fox,” Drusilla says with a mocking smile, “I will paint the floor with her blood.”

Without hesitation, Theron draws a blade and presses it against Rapunzel’s slender throat.

Panic tightens my chest as I stand helplessly before my mate. “If you kill her, Drusilla, you will risk losing any chance of regaining your lost powers.”

“Perhaps it’s a chance I should take,” she says darkly.