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I stormed across the far end of the estate’s gardens.
I had to pass through the ward slowly at this lesser-known spot so I didn’t alert my family. If I teleported in an aggressive burst, it would be like setting off a magical flare gun.
Even when Kai left to go to Arcanum Order, he had to clear it with one of my parents—so they’d know he was safe, and more importantly, to reassure them he wasn’t off doing something dangerous. Given his tendency to act unilaterally when a threat was near, they needed that peace of mind.
He had Grandfather’s support. In fact, Grandfather was covering for him—pretending they were working together and that he was personally mentoring Kai at his home. Hewasmentoring him… just through the clandestine operations of Arcanum Order.
I could barely contain my rage, harsh winds whipping all around me as a result, as I fought to contain my power when it wanted to unleash.
When it wanted to hurt and punish.
When it wanted to avenge.
It kept happening.
My men kept being harmed, both mentally and physically.
Nyx was suffering from memory bursts of being experimented on by Chimera Circle.
Kai was getting dangerously close to being forced into a duty he didn’t want—one he’d outgrown long ago. He was trapped. More than anyone outside the four of us knew.
I’d kept his secret for years. He barely even spoke of it himself. It was why he hated any mention of Maven Coven—not just because his parents were controlling, but because it ran deeper. Darker.
Borne from their helplessness after the Draco incident, Thomas and Louise Hunter had turned to dangerous magic. Desperate to ensure the strength and survival of their Coven, they’d performed a forbidden ritual—one that anchored their legacy to Kai before he was even born.
The result was an illegal enchantment that bound his magic to Maven Coven itself. If he refused the position of Head, he’d lose his power. If the Coven fell, so would he. It was a trap. One where their survival depended on him, and his power depended on them.
He couldn’t expose it, not without causing political chaos. His parents would face ruin. Maven Coven would be torn down. And in the supernatural world, it stood as one of the supposed pillars—an institution too entrenched in power to fall without major consequences.
And now there was alsothis!
Vorzyr had just conveyed what had happened to him while I’d been training with Cassius, just before Ketheron had emerged.
His parents had tortured him and tried to fucking murder him.
No!
They were mine.
My loves. My best friends. My newfamily.
No one harmed them.
No one!
And it was time the world learned that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I was just a few feet out from the edge of the ward when a wall of rose-gold magic shot up so suddenly that I slammed into it, the impact knocking me back several steps.
I stumbled, but managed to maintain my footing.
And then I spun to see Kai standing there, his magic live on either palm.
I glared.
“Stop,” he told me calmly, despite the intensity radiating off him.
“Youstop.Stop posturing. We both know that you won’t hurt me.”