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“You are the last element in the spell. The blood of the Daughter of the Goddess is the final piece I need to allow my people to walk in the sunlight. You.”

He lifted a vial from his pocket. Dark crimson in nature, the liquid inside shimmered gold as if glittering sun had been transmitted into the blood.

Evelyn took a mighty step forward, coming toe to toe with Riven. He stared down at her, jutting fangs inches from her neck. He was too fast in the too small of a room—she had to be smart, calculated before she made for her escape. But first, she had to destroy that vial.

“You will never use my blood for your people,” she breathed.

Before he could retort, Evelyn bashed her forehead into his nose.

He stumbled, and Evelyn reached for the vial. Together they fell. Wrestled and rolled. Until Evelyn thrust the vial against the walls of the townhome. The glass shattered, the glittering blood inside evaporating into rays of light.

Hope and triumph flushed through Evelyn, her lungs swelling with relief.

In a blink, Evelyn gasped for air. A cold, bony hand gripped her throat. She blinked, her vision blurring as Riven came into view. She struggled for air, clawing at his hands.

“Did you really believe my plan hinged on a single vial?” Riven asked.

No, she wouldn’t let him take her. Never. She was the Daughter of the Goddess and she believed. Evelyn took a mighty breath, grounding herself in that belief. It swelled within her, powering up her attack. Evelyn gripped Riven’s hold with one hand while the other burst into a flame, ready to kill him, end him—

“Don’t or Kade will die,” Riven shouted.

Evelyn stopped, her heart lurching in her chest.

“If you kill me, my death will be the catalyst for more death and dismay in this town you so dearly love. The first casualty, your werewolf betrothed. His head will be at your feet by day’s end if you do not put out your flame.”

Evelyn’s blood went cold. Her heart pounded in her chest. She’d believed she’d known fear, but this was all-consuming. Maddening. Her magic soared to protect Kade. She could think of nothing else but keeping him safe.

“You’re bluffing,” Evelyn muttered through Riven’s hold on her neck.

Riven tilted his head, smirking. “What if I am? What if I am not? Is your love’s life worth that risk?”

Evelyn cried with frustration. “If you touch him—”

“It’ll not be me he needs to worry about. I have allies, Evelyn. You may have killed the Far Darrig and driven back the kelpie, even destroyed the infamous White Lady, but that only angered those who support me. If my ship with black sails does not leave the harbor within the hour flying a red banner blowing from the back, they’ve been instructed to destroy this town and everyone in it.”

Evelyn gripped Riven’s hand, kicking her feet. She put out her flame, sending him a glare of death, of promise. He lowered her to the ground, setting her down. She gasped for breath, massaging her neck.

The clock behind Riven’s desk chimed the hour, the long clangs stretching in the silence between them as she made her decision. The sound mocked Evelyn and her lack of options. For all she knew, Riven was lying, bluffing his way into capturing her.

But she would not fail someone else she loved.

“Do you swear it?” Evelyn asked.

Riven clucked his tongue and shook his head. He reached for something on the bookshelf, leaving Evelyn alone in her defeat. He rejoined her with two black metal bracelets. Matte, they seemed to swallow the darkness all around them. Evelyn’s magic scurried underneath her skin, sensing the wretchedness laced within them. Evelyn’s heart sank, knowing what the bracelets were for.

“I will never swear to any witch, not even you, Daughter of the Goddess,” he said. “Give me your hands.”

Deep in her soul, Evelyn knew she could burn this entire building down. She could end Riven right here, right now. She didn’t doubt her ability, her power, or desire to do so. Yet, it didn’t matter. Risking Kade’s life was out of the question. Even if no army of darkness surrounded Callum, she would never endanger Kade. She loved him. The thought of losing him almost buckled her knees. Her heart and soul twisted.

She couldn’t in good conscience put the people of Callum at risk either. The sweet, kind people of this town did not stand a chance against whatever darkness sided with Riven.

She held out her hands, meeting Riven’s victorious stare. She did not cry. She did not shy away from his touch as he snapped a bracelet on each of her wrists, trapping her magic. She felt it still but could not unleash it. Riven had bound her.

He gripped her arm, pulling her along with him. Out the back door, a carriage awaited. Evelyn didn’t catch whoever steered it before Riven opened the door and thrust her inside. It was designed like a black metal box, similar to her bracelets, and tamped down her magic even more.

“Welcome to your new life, Daughter of the Goddess. You will give me your blood.” He lowered himself to Evelyn’s level. “And you will help finish the spell the White Lady began.”

Evelyn wanted to rip his eyes out and spit in his face. She charged him, but Riven shut the carriage door before she could, and she slammed her fists into the metal, releasing her anger.

In an instant, they were moving. The wheels bumped over the cobblestones. She heard nothing, saw nothing from the outside world, her fate as desolate and bleak as the black metal box.

Evelyn did not cry. She did not weep. She didn’t let an ounce of doubt trickle in or a fraction of fear. Even as the carriage halted and the ebb and flow of the ocean made her realize they’d driven straight onto Riven’s ship. Even as time ticked and Evelyn realized with a breaking heart that Kade would stand alone on the docks of Callum, waiting for her.

Yet, Kade was safe, and Evelyn did not doubt her decision or herself.

She was Evelyn Carson, Daughter of the Goddess, and Riven, prince of Drystan and vampyrs, had allowed his greatest enemy access to his lands and people.

From the inside out, she swore to burn them all.