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“You have two options. The first is that you surrender yourself willingly, in which case, I swear by the stars that I won’t harm any more of those you love. No more mortals will die—it’s now vengeance againstyouI seek, no one else.”

Alex felt pins and needles start prickling in her fingers and toes, the shock of what he’d just offered too much for her body to handle.

“What—” Alex had to clear her hoarse throat and try again. “What about those you’ve Claimed? Will you Release them?” She ignored the way Roka, Zain and Kyia all jerked, as if they were unwilling to believe she might be considering his offer.

“I will not,” Aven said. “They are mine, and forever they shall be. As is Meya, despite my dearbrother”—he spat the word, D.C.’s eyes pinning Roka with loathing—“having miraculously risen from the dead to reclaim it. I might not be able to access theValispathagain, but I won’t give up my city or the people in it. However, I give you my vow that we will remain here and leave the rest of your world alone. Meya has been hidden from mortal eyes for millennia—it will be so once again, under my ruling. All you have to do is surrender to me.”

Alex couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t… she couldn’t…

“The second option,” Aven went on, “is that, should you turn down my generous offer, at noon you and every mortal on the face of Medora will feel my wrath. The full force of my armies will be sent out and not a single one of you shall survive. Not one. The reign of mortals will come to an end, and I’ll see to it that every person you have ever cared for will die in the most agonising ways possible. Of that you have my word.”

Roaring filled Alex’s ears, the sound of her blood rushing through her body and mind so fast that her vision faded at the edges. Since she was too busy trying to make her lungs work, it was Roka who spoke before she could even consider what to say.

“There will be no deal,” he said, his tone unyielding enough that she knew he would battle unto the end of the world if it meant sparing her from whatever fate Aven had planned.

“It was not you to whom the offer was made, dearest brother.”

“That matters not,” Zain said in a growl. “Because there’s no way we’ll let Alex—”

“Deal.”

The word was barely a whisper of sound, but the entire room stilled at hearing it come from Alex’s dry lips. She wet them and repeated, her tone shaking, “We have a deal, Aven. Me, for them.”

“Alex, no!”

Alex wasn’t certain who had said it, since it seemed most of the room around her had jumped to their feet and were screaming their objections. But like white noise, she didn’t hear them, because she was too focused on the triumphant expression that spread across D.C.’s face.

“Then we shall meet where this all began,” Aven said, gleeful anticipation lighting D.C.’s eyes. “I’ll give you until noon, but if you don’t appear by then, if you renege on my offer, my armies will not hesitate, and the world as you know itwill fall.” In a menacing whisper, he reminded, “You for them, Alexandra. And as a token of my faith that you will make the right decision…”

D.C. suddenly slumped forward, a gasp leaving her lips. Her eyes cleared as she looked at Alex, then over to her parents, then back to Alex, before her face crumbled and she burst into tears.

“He’s—He’s—g-g-gone,” she sobbed, and Alex lunged forward to grab her as she collapsed sideways off her chair, catching her in her arms.

At Alex’s quiet instruction, Zain released D.C. from her bonds, though warily. It was possible, Alex knew, that Aven still had a hold on D.C.’s mind, but Alex didn’t think that was the case. The genuine agony her friend was exhibiting was more than any acted performance could have allowed.

“Jor-Jor-Jordan,” D.C. sobbed into Alex’s shoulder. “Is he—D-D-Did I—”

“He’s fine, Dix,” Alex whispered soothingly, trusting Roka had told her the truth. “He’s resting.”

D.C.’s cries only grew louder, and when her parents approached, Alex swiftly exchanged positions with them.

Only then did she turn around and take in the rest of the room, all of whom were looking at her with nothing less than outright devastation.

“Alex, you can’t meet him,” Darrius said. Quietly, he repeated, all but pleading with her, “You can’t.”

Hunter and Karter were looking at her with grave eyes, while her other teachers were murmuring their distressed agreement. Those of the other races watched her soberly, knowing they had no right to dictate her actions going forward, and yet, they would abide by whatever decision she made. She had earned that respect from them, their pride and arrogance no longer leading them to withhold their support.

“I have no choice,” Alex whispered back.

“Aven is a liar,” Kyia said, her tone tight with dread. “No matter what promise he makes, no matter what stars he swears by, he won’t—”

“I know that, too,” Alex whispered. “Which is why you need to be ready.” She cast her gaze over the room. Over the humans, the Shadow Walkers, the Dayriders, the Flips and the Jarnocks. “Youallneed to be ready, because if I can’t do what needs to be done, then you’re going to have to fight for your lives. For this world.”

It was Hunter who said, quietly, “You’re really going to face him.”

Alex only nodded, since the words were caught in her throat.

“Then you’re not going alone,” Roka said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Zain also stepped up beside her, as did Kyia, Mayra, and then every other person in the room.