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Because it didn’t ring true.

Maybe it never had, beyond the obligation of being the next in line to the throne.

They had truly disowned me in the time that I’d been gone, and made their peace with it as well.

They had forsaken me entirely.

Now, as they looked upon me, all they saw was Malrik’s corruption of our bloodline.

And here I was, expected to pay for his sins.

As grief, utter devastation, and flaming rage gripped me, I missed the signal of attack from my father.

And then it was too late.

My parents’ magic struck me together with brutal force that, as rulers of House Titanus, was unmatched.

Or so it was believed.

Because I hadn’t been prepared to react in time, it slammed into me, wrenching me to my knees with almost shattering force.

In the next split-second, the guards moved in all around me, streaming their magic forth in a multicolored light show of epic proportions, as they fashioned chains with hooks at their ends that drove deep into my skin, right through my dragon hide, and through the other side, into the floor below me, essentially crucifying me to it.

A roar tore from my throat, thundering through the Throne Room and making the entire place reverberate with it.

“Argh! Argh!Argh!”

25

~Kai~

“This is impressive work,” Cornelius mused. “To have managed to use this Primal Celestial Resonance as a binding agent, a magical element that has never existed before… and to then have fused it with the rest of the ingredients also… it’s astounding,” he went on as he walked around my Aetherbound Scepter that was levitating in the middle of his lab, while he studied it with great intrigue.

“It’s not my first time working with magical elements that largely remain a mystery to most,” I told him.

“Yes,” he said, his eyes flicking to mine. “That has already been made clear with this triumph you were able to see to here. It couldn’t have come from nothing.Andit couldn’t have come from rash or dangerous handling of such things either.” He walked to me. “You approach these experiments and research of yours with great care, intelligence, and reverence. Despite touching power of this magnitude, you haven’t allowed it to corrupt you, or influence you in undue ways. Not all magic-wielders can resist the call of that. It is also rare of one so young to be able to operate at this lofty level at all.” The corner of hismouth turned up. “You have a gift. And you possess the right temperament and the correct approach to excel with said gift.”

I frowned up at him. “You’re not known for doling out praise or compliments.”

“Ah, you believe I have an angle.” His lips quirked. “You are certainly astute.”

“So, you do?”

“Yes. However, it is anything but nefarious.” He folded his arms across his chest and settled in, as he told me, “I’ve been watching you for a while now. And, no, not in the way that Lucian had been. I’ve been observing you for a completely different reason, not tied to my granddaughter.”

“Color me intrigued.” For once, there was no sarcasm that came along for the ride there. The way he was talking, he was clearly building to something—something that may just be worth himwatching me. I didn’t like that. Who the fuck did? But, for me, it was more than that. I knew my parents were doing it—it was yet another infringement on my freedom. Although, Ihaddiscovered a way to subvert that as soon as I’d realized what they’d been doing a couple of months into my first year at Maven Academy. Let’s just say that what they’d beenobservingof me since then had been exactly what I’d wanted them to see—something I’d achieved through a mixture of manipulation and illusion-based magics.

“Most magic-wielders only learn their Coven or Academy curriculum, and there are also those who are only taught by family, but very few ever go beyond this, or even have the inkling to. They believe they have mastered their craft merely by completely these curriculums and achieving control of their power. The outliers to this most often consist of those who are driven by the dark need to obtain more power, the very same who end up incarcerated inThe Void.However,youare a rare breed, one of the very few who doesn’t seekadditional knowledge for the pursuit of power out of greed, ego, or megalomania. Your quest there is driven by protection—protection of yourself and those whom you care about.”

“All very true,” I confirmed.

“I am aware that you were groomed to become Head of the Maven Coven, to follow in your parents’ footsteps and continue on that legacy. However, I believe you are decidedly unsuited to such a role. It is far too limited for the likes of you. You possess potential that completely eclipses that supposed duty.”

“You’re continuing to hit the nail on the head.”

He nodded, then went on, “As such, I would like to offer you an alternative path. I am looking to grow a small, elite cabal of the greatest magical minds. Supernatural threats are becoming more specialized and powerful, there is much that remains unexplored as a result of this and the existence of more and more hybrids.Yourequire a connection to a new, smarter power structure, one that values knowledge and intends to wield that to solve magical puzzles, complications, and provide answers to rising threats that transcend what has come before, that continue to evolve faster than any curriculum can prepare for. This elite sect is known as Arcanum Order.”

I sucked in a breath.