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My jaw clenched. The bastard had me, and he knew it. I couldn't leave Cade soulless, not after everything we'd been through. Not when I'd gone to hell and back to save him.

“If you really care about him,” I said slowly, “why use his soul as leverage? Why not just help him?”

Zeryth's expression hardened. “Because this isn't just about Cade anymore. This is about what's coming, about being prepared. Sometimes caring means making hard choices.”

I recognized the justification for what it was—the same bullshit Declan had fed me when he'd push me past my breaking point in training.It hurts now, but it'll keep you alive later.As if cruelty was just another form of protection.

“Fine,” I said, the word tasting like ash. “I'll do it.”

But Zeryth wasn't done. “There's one more thing you should know. The soul vial can only be opened if Cade gives full, conscious permission. He has to want it back, truly and completely.”

Given our earlier conversation about how Cade preferred his soulless state, that would be no small feat. “And if he does?” I asked, sensing there was more.

Zeryth's expression became unreadable. “Don't let him knock on the wall I'll build in his soul.”

I didn't ask what happens if he does. I already knew it wouldn't be good.

“When will you remove these runes?” I asked, resigned.

“Not yet,” Zeryth said, surprising me. “But soon. When you're ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“To become what you were born to be,” he replied cryptically. He moved closer, holding out the soul vial. “Take it. Keep it safe until Cade is ready to accept it.”

I stared at the small container, hesitant to touch something so otherworldly, so fundamentally wrong yet right. “How will I know when he's ready?”

“You'll know,” Zeryth said simply. “The soul will respond to him when his resolve is true.”

Slowly, I reached out and took the vial. It was warm to the touch, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. Looking at it, I felta strange connection, as if the essence inside recognized me. Cade's soul, the core of who he was, now literally in my hands.

“How do I know this is really his soul?” I asked, suddenly suspicious. “This could be anything.”

Zeryth's expression softened. “Hold it close to your heart. You'll know.”

Feeling ridiculous but desperate, I pressed the vial against my chest. Instantly, a wave of emotion washed over me—compassion, determination, loyalty, guilt, hope—all the complex, contradictory elements that made Cade who he was. I nearly dropped it, overwhelmed by the intensity.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, carefully tucking the vial into my jacket's inner pocket. “It's really him.”

“Yes,” Zeryth agreed. “It is. I've taken good care of it.”

I looked at him, really looked at him, trying to understand this being that claimed to care for Cade yet used his soul as a bargaining chip. “Why Cade? Out of all the people in the world, why him?”

Zeryth's expression became distant, almost wistful. “Sometimes, even after eons of existence, something surprises you. Cade surprised me. His capacity for compassion, his stubborn refusal to give up on people... it's rare. Precious, even. I didn't expect to find that interesting, but I did.”

“So you're saying you got attached,” I translated flatly.

“In my own way,” Zeryth admitted. “Though I suspect my understanding of attachment differs from yours.”

He turned away, moving back to the window. “Our time is up for now. Remember what I said, Sean. The wall will hold, but only if Cade doesn't try to break it down.”

I had a dozen more questions, but I could sense our meeting was ending whether I wanted it to or not. “Wait—how do I contact you if something goes wrong?”

Zeryth smiled, a genuine expression this time that transformed his face into something almost warm. “Just call my name. I'll hear you.”

Before I could question him further, the penthouse dissolved around me, and I found myself back in the alley, the night undisturbed as if nothing had happened. But everything had changed.

I exhaled sharply, heart pounding against my ribs, the weight of what I'd just done settling over me. My hand went instinctively to my inner pocket, confirming the vial was still there, warm against my chest.