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ELIAS

T he bunker smells like old stone and desperation.

It’s tucked deep under the broken skeleton of some ancient city—half-forgotten by the world, the kind of place even ghosts have given up haunting. Perfect for a gathering of outlaws and monsters.

I stand near the center of the cracked meeting hall, arms crossed, heart beating a slow, heavy rhythm in my chest. Around me, the first waves of the coalition start to gather—witches draped in raven feathers and ash, shifters in human skin but with wild eyes, even a few of the Fae, silver-blooded and wary, drifting like shadows at the edges of the room.

And dragons.

Goddamn dragons.

Kaia is talking quietly to Sonya near the far wall, the golden glow of her magic still lingering faintly under her skin. She looks like she was carved out of battle and fire, like she belongs here. Like she belongs with me.

And gods help me, she does.

I can feel her even without looking—her emotions skimming over my skin like a live wire. Grief. Fury. Hope. And under it all, that steady pull. The bond that neither of us dares name yet, but it’s there. Deep. Unbreakable.

She caught me when I was drowning.

Now it’s my turn to catch her.

I step forward as the last of the gathered fall silent, every supernatural eye locked on me. On us.

No fear.

No hesitation.

Just that boiling certainty that we’re out of time.

"We didn’t come here for glory," I say, voice rough, carrying easily across the cracked stone. "We didn’t come here to raise a kingdom or burn one down." I let my eyes sweep the room, daring anyone to look away.

"We came because they’re planning to wipe us out. All of us. Hybrids, witches, shifters, Fae—doesn’t matter how strong you are. Doesn’t matter how pure you think your blood is. The Order doesn’t fucking care."

Murmurs ripple through the crowd, anger thick enough to taste.

"They built a device," Kaia says, stepping up beside me, her voice clear and hard as steel. "A weapon called the Purifier. One surge, and every bloodline not one hundred percent human will be annihilated."

The room freezes.

I watch the witches' faces pale, the shifters bare their teeth, the dragons' gold eyes slitting into dangerous thin lines.

"This ain’t about power," I growl. "It’s about survival."

"And we’re done waiting for them to come for us," Kaia adds, chin tilted stubbornly, that fire in her eyes that makes my chest fucking ache.

Someone from the back—one of the wolf clans—steps forward. Big guy, broad-shouldered, scars running down his arms like old roadmaps of war.

"You’re asking us to start a war," he says. Not accusing. Just steady. Measuring.

"No," I say. "The war’s already started. We’re just the first ones smart enough to fight back."

A ripple of agreement shudders through the room.

"And before you ask," Kaia cuts in, her voice lowering dangerously, "no, we’re not another Typhon’s Brood."

The crowd stiffens at the name.

"They wanted blood for the sake of blood," she says. "Wanted to wipe out humans entirely, make supernaturals the new ruling class."

"Replace one tyranny with another," I mutter, lip curling.

Kaia nods, her hand brushing mine for just a second—enough to ground me.

"We’re not here to be kings or gods," she says. "We’re here to be free."

Silence. Heavy. Absolute.

Then the dragon-speaker, a woman with molten hair and a voice like thunder, steps forward.

"We’re with you," she says simply.

One by one, the others follow. Clans. Covens. Scattered Fae courts.

We aren’t a polished army. We’re broken, battered, furious. And we’re enough.

I feel it settle in my bones like destiny sharpening its claws.

Kaia looks at me, her golden eyes catching the torchlight, and something deep inside me just... steadies.

This is why we fight. Not for power. Not for revenge. For the right to exist. To choose. To live.

I squeeze her hand once, quick and fierce, then turn back to the others.

"Tomorrow night," I say. "We hit the Order. Hard. Fast. Before they finish the Purifier."

"And if they finish it before we get there?" one of the witches asks, voice low.

I bare my teeth in a smile that has no warmth.

"Then we tear down the whole fucking place stone by stone until it’s nothing but rubble."

Kaia’s laugh, low and dark, curls through the air like smoke.