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Johan ignored him, turning back to the crowd.

“My father was killed for the unfortunate crime of being born to the wrong house at the wrong time. Artos murdered him because the Divine foretold the House of Rapere would rule. I’ve seen the old texts.

I’ve been translating the Book of Astrium.

The proof is overwhelming. Many of you already know this to be true.

We cannot allow his line to ascend the throne! ”

The room dissolved into a frenzy.

“They are tainted!”

“The sins of the father shall fall to the sons!”

“Eradicate the entire line!”

Gunner stepped in front of us, arrow knocked, as the chaos escalated.

“Do you believe me now?” Fallon shouted.

“Not a great time for ‘I told you so’!” Gunner barked.

Johan’s voice boomed again. “We cannot allow the Sigil to pass to the Bruin line. We must root out the evil and usher in a new era. The House of Rapere shall restore our rightful destiny. And we’ll begin at its core!”

He stepped behind the sage, drawing his ceremonial dagger and slit the holy man’s throat.

As if on cue, the guards lining the throne room sprang into action, surrounding the nobles of Bruin House.

“Take them alive if you can,” Johan ordered. “The realm deserves to see them hung for the crimes of their house.”

They reached Finn first, four of them dragging the unarmed prince to the floor.

“Get her out of here!” Gunner shouted at Fallon.

“But Gunner?—”

“I don’t have time for your fucking mouth. Just do it!” He turned to me, emotion blazing in his eyes. “Now’s the time to prove how fast you really are. No matter what happens, I’ll find you at the end.”

He reached for me, a calloused thumb barely brushing my cheek. Before I could register the touch, it was gone. The whispering hiss of the arrow leaving his bow, followed by the sickening thud as it hit its mark, was the last thing I heard before he vanished into the throng.

I stood frozen, watching the carnage unfold.

Candlelight glinted off a sea of silver armor as guards poured into the throne room.

Panicked screams of fleeing nobles echoed in my ears.

Only a stark few from Bruin House stood with the princes, their ceremonial swords drawn in what looked like a losing battle.

It was death’s symphony. The clashing of steel on steel.

The agonized cries. The wet thud of bodies hitting stone.

I should have been overwhelmed. Nothing in my sheltered life had prepared me for this.

But in the midst of so much death, the anxiety that had plagued me since my arrival transformed into a strange calm in the pit of my belly.

Fallon stood beside me, trembling, but made no move to follow Gunner’s orders and flee.

“Should we go?” I asked, touching her arm gently. She stayed silent. “Fallon!” I shook her harder, trying to break through her stupor.

“I can’t. If I leave now, they all die.”

“You don’t know that. If we stay here, there’s a real chance you will die.”

“True. But it would be a fate I deserve. Return to the House of Bruin. Find the king’s chambers. The mirror is there. Go back to Neverland and tell my brother what happened.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“That’s your choice. I won’t stop you. But remember—it’s a decision you’ll have to live… or die with.”

“Don’t worry about me. Death and I are well acquainted.”

Fallon raised the silver pistol still clutched in her hand and began firing as she moved into the fray.

I pulled the eidris and followed, cursing the excessive amount of unnecessary fabric of my skirts.

I was an enormous target. The crimson color of the dress now felt ironic.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to run. The princes had saved me once.

Now it was my turn to return the favor or die trying.

Johan watched from the stolen throne as Nico engaged in a lethal dance before the dais.

His ceremonial blade, wholly inadequate against the guards’ weaponry, was clutched in his hand.

The once-opulent weapon, with its jeweled hilt, now dripped with blood.

His fur mantle hung torn and limp around his shoulders.

Strands of hair had pulled loose from their tie, adding to the feral look on his face.

Luca and Gunner still pushed back the surge of guards at the center of the hall.

Hunter and Finn weren’t so fortunate. They were on their knees, straining against their captors with shackled hands.

Jase stood quietly, also in chains, but looking resigned.

There was no resistance in him at all. Unlike his brothers, he’d calmly accepted there was no escape—which seemed at odds with the smug bastard I’d seen only hours earlier.

It looked like we were out of time. Fallon and I had been largely overlooked in the chaos until a hulking guard spotted us and shifted his trajectory. I tried to warn her, but she was locked in a trance, her pistol occupied elsewhere.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

The male barreled toward us, and my mind cycled through every scenario. In each one, his broadsword cut me down before my blade could ever graze his skin. The odds were dead set against me. But at least it was better than dying of cancer, withering away in my bed while my own magic ate me alive.

A half-cocked smile curled my lips as I welcomed my fate. But the utter malice plastered on the guard’s face faltered—along with his steps. His jaw slackened, his pupils blew wide, and his eyes went vacant. His body collapsed face-first at my feet, an axe protruding from his back.

My chest heaved, adrenaline burning like cinders in my bones. How was I still alive?

My gaze followed his path, and my heart leapt into my throat when I saw a familiar face. Lucius. His amber eyes locked on mine, a mix of rage and relief warring on his handsome face. Gwen had come through. The exiled prince of Hiraeth had come for me.

“Lucius?” Fallon’s voice came out in a whisper as she stumbled toward him. “Lucius!” She screamed his name. The raw emotion in her voice echoed off the walls as she sank to her knees. The fighting paused at her outburst, and Johan’s sinister chuckle filled the silence.

“So the murderous whelp returns! The Divine has smiled upon me today. You’ve saved me the trouble of hunting down the last of your bloodline.”

“Murderous? No more than you, Johan. And if you think I’ll make it easy for you, then you’re further gone than I thought.”

“Two down, four to go. It’s been great fun, but it’s getting rather dull. Guards, stop toying with your prey. I want them dead or in chains before dawn.”

Johan rose from the throne, armed guards surrounding him as he strode out of the room. The great doors slammed behind him, locking us in.

“Loni, I need you to pull it together,” Lucius said, lifting Fallon to her feet before turning to me. “We’ve gotta go, Dove,” he said, grabbing my arm and steering me toward the dais.

“How? He’s locked us in.”

“My father had tunnels built. We just have to reach the altar—there are hidden passages underneath.”

“What about the others?”

Sorrow flickered in his eyes as he looked at his brothers still fighting for their lives. “I’ll do what I can. But I have to get you out. They’d want me to save you first and avenge them later.”

My heart sank, and tears blurred my vision. “Why don’t you all shift? Nico mentioned powers. He said the odds would be in your favor.”

“The throne room is spelled. No shifting, no powers, unless you’re king. And Nico isn’t king yet. I’m sorry, Dove. We don’t have other options.”

He abruptly shoved Fallon and me to the floor as a new wave of guards surged toward us. I clung to Fallon, her face streaked with tears and makeup. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she kept moaning over and over.

I pulled the pistol from her rigid hand.

I couldn’t just sit on the floor and do nothing while they tried to kill Lucius.

I’d never fired a gun in my life, but it didn’t stop me from pulling the trigger.

The guard was dead before he hit the floor.

I felt his soul leave his body and wondered if everyone felt that when they took a life.

But there was no remorse. I’d evened the odds for Lucius, and he finished off the rest in quick order.

“Nico—we’re running out of time. Open the tunnel!” Lucius shouted, pulling us up again as we raced toward the altar.

“Not that easy!” Nico barked from across the room. He’d gained the high ground, holding off the horde of soldiers from the steps of the dais.

“Go! I’ll cover you!” Gunner called, nocking another arrow. Nico hesitated, uncertainty flashing across his face.

“Do it now. I’ll hold them off.”

He charged through the soldiers. His sheer size gave him the edge. Arrows began to fly, sailing a mere breadth from Nico before finding their mark, but he kept moving.

He reached the altar moments before we did, swiping a gash across his arm, coating his fingers in blood. With it, he drew a glyph on the altar. The floor rumbled. Stone grated against stone, and a section opened, revealing a spiral staircase that descended into darkness.

Lucius pushed Fallon down the stairs first, then reached for me. But I was staring at the chaos behind us. Finn, Jase, and Hunter were gone. Luca had reached the altar. Gunner was still surrounded, still battling more guards than he could ever fight off on his own.

“Lucius, we can’t leave him!” I tried to break his grip, desperate to help.

But he lifted me, strong arms slinging me over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Dove. I hope one day you’ll forgive me.”

“No! Stop! Put me down!” I screamed. Gunner turned toward my voice, panic darkened his eyes as a broadsword pierced through his chest.

“No! Please… no!” Tears poured down my cheeks as he dropped to his knees, lips parting in a soft exhale. The tension in his face eased. As the guards closed in, he pulled the small golden ball from his belt. With a steady hand, he kissed his bloodied fingers and held my gaze.

“Fuck! Everyone, get down!” Nico roared.

Lucius carried me down the stairwell as the entire room exploded in a deafening blast—and everything went black.