Page 52

Boots thundered ahead of me. A detachment of guards rounded the corner, swords already drawn. I skidded to a halt—too late to turn back. There was no way I could avoid them and one sickly human was nothing against these battle-hardened guards. I stood my ground, bracing for the inevitable.

But it never came.

They charged past, eyes wild. One brushed my shoulder with a hissed curse, like he’d passed through a cold draft.

They hadn’t seen me.

I looked down. Shadow clung to my limbs like a second skin, curling like smoke across my bodice and around my hands. Moving when I moved. Shielding me in plain sight.

I didn’t understand how it was possible. A sob clawed at my throat, but I forced it down. I didn’t have time to wonder how Jase’s shadows were protecting me even from the grave. I was a ghost in the enemy’s halls.

I glanced back once, a silent prayer for my beasts to hold the line—and surged forward. Each step lighter, shadows parting before me and stitching themselves around me again.

The grand doors to the throne room lay shattered across the floor. The room still bore the scars of the solric that had taken Gunner from me. Only Johan and Nico remained standing. Steel clashed, echoing off the walls.

Nico was larger by far, but his body was battered. Bloodstains soaked his clothes. He heavily favored his right side, his arm tucked in close. While Johan looked fresh, untouched. His guards had done the hard work.

Jase’s shadows evaporated—snuffed by the wards within the throne room.

I hugged the wall, slipping through what natural shadow remained, slowly circling behind them. A distraction now could mean certain death for Nico.

“You can’t win. The Bloodstone Sigil ensures I overpower you ten to one,” Johan said, chuckling as he defended Nico’s blows with ease as they made their way up the dais.

“The Sigil’s just a tool. It doesn’t make a king. Only the Divine can do that,” Nico growled, eyes flicking to the throne that should have been his.

“And yet here I stand, the Sigil would have struck me down otherwise and yet it still sits on my finger. Proof enough.”

“Then take it off and we’ll see who’s the better male. Beast against beast.”

“The Divine favor minds, not muscles. That’s why they let your father die when I killed him with my bare hands. Seems I was the chosen one after all.”

Nico faltered, taking a step down the dais, his eyes wide as the realization hit him. “How could you? He was like a father to you. He was your friend.”

“He betrayed us all,” Johan said, standing before the throne. “You can ask him of his crimes when I send you to meet him.”

I broke from the shadows, angling toward Johan’s back. One well-placed thrust of my sword, and it would all be over. He wouldn’t even see it coming.

I raised my blade—but Johan spun with unnatural speed, seizing my wrist in a crushing grip.

“No!” Nico lunged, but Johan dragged me between them, arm locking around my waist as he wrenched the blade from my grasp.

“Well, well,” he sneered, breath hot against my ear. “Look what the Divine dragged in.”

“Michaela,” Nico breathed, horror in his eyes. “Let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

“On the contrary,” Johan purred. “She has everything to do with this. You see, I’ve learned a thing or two now that the Sigil has passed down every secret the kings of old kept from us.

Have you ever heard of the blood rite? Our ancestors knew how dangerous a true fated pair could be and in their infinite wisdom, they found a way to break them. ”

He turned me in his grip, pressing his palm flat to my stomach “It’s quite the ceremony.

Vows. Blood. A binding of souls across eternity.

And in her case,”—he stroked my arm in mock tenderness—“a cleansing of all those inconvenient bonds. Every Bruin claim to this pivotal human, shattered. All it takes is a vow and her blood mingled with mine.”

“You wouldn’t,” Nico snarled. “You can’t bind someone against their will.”

“Oh, but she’ll agree,” Johan said softly. “Because if she doesn’t, I’ll use the power of the Bloodstone Sigil to gut every last one of your brothers in front of you, one by one. If she agrees, I’ll let them live. Banished, yes—but alive. Isn’t that what you want, my dear?”

My breath caught in my throat. I looked to Nico, whose eyes were wild with helpless rage.

“He’s lying,” I said. “The Sigil has rejected him. He cannot wear it for long. I saw his hand.” I seethed.

“A minor detail my sages are working on. Much has happened since the founding houses forged the stone. It’s about time for an upgrade. Once they’re done, you’ll reign beside the most powerful king in the history of Hiraeth. Now, my dear, what is your answer? Life…or death?”

I bit down until I tasted blood behind my teeth. I had a choice to make, but there was no choice in it at all.

“I’ll do it,” I whispered. “I’ll say the vows.”

“No,” Nico said. “Michaela, don’t?—”

“I have to.” My voice cracked. “I won’t let him kill you.”

Johan grinned. “Excellent.”

He began reciting the old vows, ancient words I couldn’t understand. I simply repeated them through clenched teeth, each word a blade to my soul. I may have been sealing my fate with Johan, but in my heart, the words were meant for Nico. My gaze never left his.

When the last vow left my lips, Johan grabbed my wrist, holding it high. With a swift motion, he drew a small dagger across my palm. My blood poured hot down my hand, running over his fingers before spilling onto the Sigil. The moment it touched the stone it began to hiss.

He dropped my hand like a hot coal, a scream bellowing up from his gut as his ringed hand trembled. I stumbled backward and watched in horror as the skin around the Sigil began to melt from his hand.

Crack!

The sound cut through Johan’s screaming. A jagged split tore through the ring. Light burst from within like a star collapsing. Johan fell to his knees, staring at his ruined hand.

“No! It’s not possible. What have you done?” He turned toward me, accusations burning in his feral eyes.

With a roar, Nico lunged forward, his blade drove into Johan’s ribs. “This is for my father,” he growled. Johan’s eyes widened, his hands clutching the hilt as blood spilled from his lips. Nico drove the blade up through his chest. “And that is for thinking you could claim her for yourself.”

Johan choked on his own blood, reaching for the shattered ring as the color drained from his face. He slumped forward, his body collapsing against Nico. With his last breath, the remnants of the ring shattered completely, fragments of the Sigil scattered across the marble.

The others crashed through the door, sliding to a stop as they took in the scene.

Johan’s eyes had gone vacant. For a moment, there was silence—stunned, aching silence.

The sons of Artos absorbing the vengeance they so justly deserved.

My eyes caught shadows looming behind the throne, a flicker of soft, blue light.

I swore I saw Gunner and Jase watching over the scene.

An eye for an eye had finally been settled.

The balance had been restored. Before I could make sense of it, the light ghosted away, leaving nothing but shadows.

Nico turned, his storm-dark eyes softening. We had won. The kingdom was his again.

“I knew you could do it on your own,” Luca boomed, breaking the somber mood in the room, a wide grin cutting across his face.

I rushed into Nico’s arms, holding him, feeling his solid weight against me. He was alive. His arms wrapped around me, strong and sure.

“You came back,” he whispered.

“Of course I did.” My fingers curled into his hair, my voice breaking. “I’m never leaving you.”

He cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear. His gaze was fierce, full of something I had no name for, something vast and unbreakable.

Then he staggered backward, breaking away from me.

“Nico?” I caught him as his body wavered, his face paling as his strength gave out. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his skin burned under my touch.

He sank to his knees, taking me with him, his grip tightening as if he could hold on to me through sheer will alone.

“I have it, Mic,” he rasped. “The malediction.”

Panic surged through me. “No. No, that’s not possible,” I said, gripping his face. “You’re not dying. We just got to the good part. I won’t lose you now.”

The others gathered around us, the joy of victory evaporating into something far colder. I refused to believe it. There was some mistake. It was a sick trick. The Divine wouldn’t let him win, only to strike him down like this.

This couldn’t be happening.

He’d fought for this kingdom and won. He’d done everything to save us. For me .

Now, it was my turn to fight for him.

To Be Continued…