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“She will bring about the downfall of the realm. Destiny beckons and sacrifice demands. Will you not sacrifice one to save us all?”

“The only sacrifices that will be made will be for her,” Theon retorted.

“The rivers will run red,” the female said, desperation creeping into her tone. “The realm will split, and all will fall. None will be left standing when Chaos comes to reign. It does not favor, only wants for more.”

“He is not listening,” came a frustrated male voice from the other side.

Axel turned to find the other two figures closer still.

“He will only hinder us,” the male continued, pulling a crooked dagger from his cloak.

The same type of dagger that Tessa had been stabbed with. The kind that could kill a Legacy if it hit the heart. A Fae, however, could die from the blade within minutes.

“He will see reason,” the female insisted.

“We don’t have the luxury of time to see if that is true,” the male replied, and then he lunged forward.

Theon’s darkness slammed into him, forcing him to the ground where his magic sank into his being, black lines forming as his blood became the same darkness Theon commanded. The male cried out, but Theon was already swiping the dagger from the male’s hand and plunging it into his chest.

A web of thick vines appeared, woven together to block the ends of the aisle, telling Axel a Silas Legacy was here. He didn’t know which one of the remaining three it was, but he knew all three of them would die here tonight.

He went for the female, his shadows winding around her and dragging her forward as she cried out, continuing to try to persuade them of her cause. She was still a few feet away when he felt the sharp slice of pain down his arm. The gasp had him turning away to find Kat with her hand clasped over her arm, blood seeping between her fingers.

And then red was all Axel saw.

With a dark growl, his shadows poured out of him. They no longer dragged the female to him, but yanked her violently. Pulling the mask from her face, he paid no attention to the startled pale blue eyes that stared back at him, or the plea that had scarcely formed on her lips before his shadows were silencing her. He saw her attempt to strike him with the dagger she held, but he only smiled a dark thing as his magic caught her wrist.

Then forced her to shove the blade into her own heart.

He left her dying on the floor, ready to find the one who had hurt what was his, only to find another already there.

The same female he’d run into in the archive stacks was here. Not only was she here, she had a bow and was firing three arrows at once directly at him. His shadows swelled, but not fast enough. It didn’t matter anyway. The arrows whizzed by him so close he felt the air stir in front of his face. The sound of a pained grunt had him turning to find one of the masked figures almost upon him, his dagger raised. He sank to his knees, the weapon clattering to the floor.

She’d saved him.

He whirled back, but she was gone. Only a smattering of ashes drifting to the ground remained.

“Who the fuck was that?” Theon snapped, and Axel found his brother taking care of the last Augury member. The figure was writhing on the ground, strangled moans of agony coming frombehind the mask. Theon was letting his power feast before he took life.

Good,was all Axel could think as he stalked towards Katya.

She had pressed herself against the wall of books, trying to make herself as small as possible. Without access to her fire down here, there was little she could do against them. She still clutched at her arm, and when he drew nearer, he could see the thin pools of silver in her golden eyes. The dagger that had caused the wound was wedged in the book behind her, a blade of gold he’d never seen before.

“Let me see,” he said gruffly.

But she didn’t move her hand.

Holding her gaze, he slowly reached for her wrist, gently pulling her hand from her arm. Red streamed down, the cut deeper than he’d originally thought, and there were already faint lines of black appearing around the wound. He should be concerned about that, but all he could focus on was the blood sliding down her skin. He could smell it and her power andher.

Without conscious thought, he brought her hand up, taking two fingers in his mouth and sucking. The bloodtastedlike her—citrus and fiery, a hint of smoke and spices—and gods, herpower. Heavy-lidded eyes dropped to her arm, and every part of him went alive with excitement. Fresh blood. Right there for the taking.

A hand on his shoulder was jerking him back, and he turned with a snarl, teeth bared at whoever was trying to come between him and?—

“Get a grip, Axel,” Theon growled, shoving him back even more as he stepped between him and Katya.

But he couldn’t because he’d already been craving more, and that small taste had been everything. He’d never tasted blood like that. It called to him, called to his magic, called to his very soul.

“He can have some,” Katya said softly, her hand clamped over the wound again.