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I focused on my sword—which was back in his hand—with a single word pounding through my thoughts:Mine.

I searched for the familiar pulse of Grimnor’s essence, finding it easily. Wrapping my focus and power around it, I clenched my fist and pulled.

The blade soared toward me, leaving a shimmering trail of dark energy as it came. That same energy continued to build around it once I caught it and balanced it in my hand. It wound up my arm and over my shoulders before cascading down, draping around me like a layer of armor forged from a dazzling night sky.

Lorien turned more fully to me. His eyes seemed to take on a reddish glow as the mark of the Vaelora flared to life on his arm. I felt another prodding against my mind, a whisper that quickly took on a physical weight—but I’d been prepared for him to try that.

I wasn’t listening.

I focused on preparing my next strike to drown him out, holding my ground as he stalked closer. Just as I’d done with my sword, I sought the center of his being, that pulsing beat that I could possess and control.

And I felt…two.

A gasp slipped through my lips as I realized that Zayn was clearly still in there—but I didn’t let it distract me for long. Thatsecond essence was much fainter, buried beneath the tumbling, violent being that had overtaken it so many years ago.

I exhaled a slow breath, and I imagined my magic constricting with the inhale that followed, closing around the powerfully beating heart of Lorien’s life-force.

He stumbled. Froze. His eyes dropped to his stomach, his hand grappling over it and then up to his chest—as if looking for the blade I’d stabbed him with.

“There is no blade,” I informed him. “There is onlyme.”

He started to reply, but I gave a vicious twist of my power, pulling my hold tighter, choking him into silence.

His magic rose in furious response, coming precariously close to overpowering mine.

Sensing an impending eruption I might not be able to contain, I looked past him and quickly found Aleksander’s eyes once more. “Ready your sword!” I cried.

Any doubt and fear about this plan we’d only hastily discussed disappeared in that moment. His expression mirrored mine—grim determination and acceptance.

We moved now or never.

As I squeezed my own sword more tightly, letting its power wash over and steady me, Lorien stumbled a few steps closer—close enough that only I could hear his whisper.

“If you take me, I’m taking Zayn with me.” His smile was back—savage and slightly unhinged. “And don’t forget the connection I share with Aleksander. Maybe I’ll drag him down along with us.”

“No,” I growled, taking a step even closer to him, refusing to cower. “You won’t.”

I didn’t listen to his reply—I was done listening, determined to never hear his voice again.

I wrapped my power more tightly around him.

And I held.

I held, even as his magic tried to break me. As my entire body shook and waves of nausea rocked through me. As pain and exhaustion blinded me. As his voice battered against the walls of my mind—not just words, but awful, inhuman screams, hissed threats, wild roars.

I couldn’t focus on much beyond steadying my own magic, but through my glazed over eyes I saw light lifting from Aleks. From the sword he held. I focused on that light with every ounce of resolve I had left, knowing my shadows would call to it, that I could lead him to the monster, to the bitterly black heart I held in my control.

Lifetimes seemed to rise and fall before I finally felt it: A warm current of magic fighting its way in, relieving some of the pressure against my insides. It circled the cage I’d made around Lorien’s life-force, like a serpent preparing to strike.

Hold it steady,said a voice, deep in the back of my mind. My own, or Aleksander’s, or some ancient entity trying to guide me—I didn’t know. But it was calm and certain, and I couldn’t help but listen to it.

Hold,it whispered, over and over.Hold!

And so I held, and held and held, until Lorien gave a final, guttural cry as he was thrown from Zayn’s body.

That body collapsed. For a moment, Lorien’s essence appeared like a phantom before me, a volatile shape of the man he had once been. It was gone in a blink, gathering into a smaller, more solid shape that immediately shot off toward the shattered doorway.

I caught it in ropes of quickly-summoned shadows, dragging it back.