Page 6

ELIAS

T he blade slices clean through the lock with a hiss, metal shrieking as it hits the ground. I step inside the crypt, my steps are loud on the damp gravel, the smell of rot and stone thick in the air.

Why the fuck do all ancient prophecies live in goddamn holes in the ground?

The old Fae ruins were buried deep under Brooklyn, masked by centuries of concrete and bullshit bureaucracy. Took me four weeks and a favor from a drunk blood-mage just to find this entrance. The tablet I’m after is supposed to be here—an artifact tied to the origin of the Veil.

And maybe to her .

Kaia Draven.

I haven’t stopped thinking about her since the alley. Not her face—though yeah, she’s stupid fucking beautiful in that dangerous, sharp-edged way—but that feeling . Like my soul got yanked across the goddamn universe and said “There. That one.”

I hate it.

I hate how strong the pull is. I hate that she’s Order. I hate that when I see her name on the files I snatched, my chest feels like someone’s got their fist wrapped around my ribs.

And I hate that my mother might’ve been right.

“Beware the girl born of light and blade,” she told me once. “She will burn your name into the Veil or carve it from the world.”

Velara always was dramatic as hell. But when I felt Kaia’s energy ripple against mine… it felt like a match had been lit in my blood.

Now I’m here.

Needing answers.

The tablet is supposed to be sealed in the crypt’s heart chamber. I pass a row of old sarcophagi—decorated with glyphs that twitch when I get too close. Something old stirs in the walls. Hungry. Restless.

I draw my obsidian blade, feel its familiar hum against my palm.

“Come on, assholes,” I mutter. “Let’s get this over with.”

The first wraith crawls from the ceiling like a shadow vomiting itself into form. Mouth like a vertical split of teeth. Too many arms. Eyes that don’t blink. My wolf growls inside me. My fangs itch.

I don’t shift, not fully. Just enough for speed.

I lunge.

The blade cuts clean, blessed and bound to me through ritual and pain. One wraith shrieks, dissolves into smoke. Another slams into my back, sending me skidding into the crypt wall. Pain flares through my shoulder, but I twist, slam my elbow into its malformed face and drive the blade home.

They fall easy, these things. Old guardians. Not meant for someone like me.

Not meant for someone broken .

I wipe the black ichor off my jaw and kick open the final door.

The heart chamber is round. Quiet. Stone glistens with sweat from the earth. At the center—there it is.

A plinth wrapped in Fae vines and runes that hiss when I step forward.

On the plinth lies the tablet.

It’s humming.

And glowing.

Which… yeah, is never a good sign.

I slide my fingers over the surface. The moment my skin makes contact, a pulse shoots up my arm and straight into my skull.

Images flash.

A tree, burning.

A woman with gold eyes screaming.

A wolf standing in blood.

And her.

Kaia.

But not just her now, her older . Covered in ash. Eyes glowing like twin suns. Screaming my name.

My whole body jerks back.

“What the fuck are you?” I breathe.

“Who the hell are you ?”

The voice hits me like a shot of lightning.

Kaia.

I spin.

She’s standing in the entrance of the chamber, gun drawn, eyes wide but focused.

She sees me.

Really sees me.

And fuck, she’s even more dangerous up close.

Hair curled around her face like a halo of black fire.

That golden skin glowing faintly under the crypt’s lights.

Her stance is sharp, controlled, but there’s something wild in her eyes.

Like she’s one breath away from demanding the truth out of the gods themselves.

And right now? That wildness is aimed at me .

“Don’t move,” she snaps. “What is this place? What are you doing down here?”

I should run.

She’s Order.

This is a trap.

But I can’t fucking move.

Because the second our eyes lock again, that thread, the one I’ve been pretending doesn’t exist—yanks tight.

And I see it hit her too.

Her breath stutters.

Her gun hand lowers just a fraction.

“Shit,” she whispers, barely audible. “It’s you .”

I take a step back.

“Stay the hell away from me,” I growl, voice sharper than intended.

She flinches, but recovers fast.

“You’re breaking into Fae tombs now? Looking for souvenirs?”

“I’m looking for answers.”

“To what?”

I hesitate. Just a second. But it’s enough.

She narrows her eyes. “You’re tied to the Veil. Aren’t you?”

More than you know, I think bitterly.

She starts forward.

I backpedal fast, boots skidding.

Not yet. Not here. If I stay, I’ll fucking lose control. I already feel the change creeping up my spine. My pupils dilating. My fangs itching to drop. The wolf is howling .

“You don’t want me to answer that,” I snarl.

“Try me.”

Suddenly, the chamber shakes.

The tablet glows red.

The runes on the wall begin to hum.

Kaia looks around, suddenly alert. “What the hell did you do ?”

I don’t answer.

Because I’m already running.