Page 24

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A surge of hostile magic slammed against the wards, cold and oily, jolting me from sleep. It had been three days since the attack on the wards, and I’d slowly grown used to being constantly aware of them, like I’d sprung a brand new limb. And just like if I’d sprouted a new leg, I kept tripping and stumbling, adjusting to this new extension of me.

I’d grown familiar enough with my new sense of the wards to recognize the sensual caress of an undead vampire brushing up against them, the wild crackle of Bastian’s shifter magic, the whisper of a spirit, or even Ren’s starlight, which tickled like champagne bubbles.

But this was nothing like that. This felt like razor-sharp nails scratching against glass, making every muscle in my body tense. Ice seeped into me, the magic from the wards backfilling me as the assault focused on a single weak point in the protective weave shielding the Moon Sanctuary.

Bastian stirred beside me, his body radiating heat that contrasted with the chill spreading through my veins. His muscles tensed as his amber eyes snapped open, already glowing with flecks of gold, the beast awakening with him. “What is it?” he growled, his voice rough with sleep.

“The wards,” I whispered, my fingers curling into the sheets.

I sensed Javier outside, patrolling the grounds with a handful of vampire guardians. His smoky presence hardened into something deadly as he registered my alarm, and he immediately changed course to race toward me. I sensed Ash and Thane downstairs; their steady vigilance sharpened into urgent purpose as they moved in tandem toward Micah’s room to protect my son.

The wards screamed as another lance of power slammed into them. I clutched my chest, panting through the pain. It felt like I was being attacked personally.

“Soph,” Bastian said, curling an arm around me. “What can I—” His focus snapped to the wall, like he could see through both the study and sitting room to the hallway beyond. “Someone’s coming.”

“Javier,” I offered, my teeth chattering. Except he didn’t feel close enough yet.

Bastian’s nostrils flared. “Not him.” He moved with liquid grace, sliding from the bed and standing protectively between me and the door. The golden light beneath the black ink of his tattoos writhed, and his body seemed to strain against its current form, muscles shifting beneath skin that couldn’t quite contain what lived within him.

I reached for him, my fingers brushing his arm. Where I touched, his tattoos flared brighter. The wild power inside him recognized me, leaning into my touch even as his body coiled tighter with tension.

My bedroom door burst inward.

Reiji stood in the doorway, power crackling around him like dark lightning. His pleasant mask had fallen away, his eyes glowing with unnatural light as he gathered elemental magic between his palms. Something felt wrong about Reiji’s power. “I am truly sorry about this, Sophie,” he said, satisfaction outweighing remorse. “But some sacrifices are necessary for the greater good.”

Bastian’s growl reverberated through the room, the sound too deep and resonant to have come from a human throat. His form blurred around the edges, the wild beast within him forcing its way out.

Golden light burst through his tattoos, and his shoulders broadened, bones cracking as they realigned. The curved horns like molten gold emerged from his dark curls, and wings of midnight feathers edged in gold unfurled from his back, spanning the width of the room.

I stood on my knees on the mattress so I could see over Bastian’s shoulder and wing.

Reiji faltered for a moment, surprise flashing across his features before his mask of control returned. “Interesting,” he murmured. His lips curled into a cruel smile. “Perhaps Veris was right to fear what might awaken in you, bastard.”

The first blast of elemental magic shook the entire room, dark and corrupted.

Bastian’s wings swept forward, shielding us both as debris rained down from the ceiling.

The sanctuary shuddered as the external attack on the wards continued. My hearing picked up sounds of fighting throughout the building—clashing steel, popping gunfire, explosive magic, and desperate cries as my people tried to defend their home. How many enemies had Reiji smuggled in while playing ally?

“You should have heeded the warnings in the ward testing,” Reiji said, his voice carrying an edge of madness. “There would be no need for this if only you’d bound me then!” The corrupted magic pouring off him carried echoes of something darker—something harboring the Shadow King’s hungry presence.

Reiji hadn’t acted alone in his systematic attack on our wards the other day, and he wasn’t acting alone now. I knew exactly who had guided his hand.

“You’ve let him in,” I said, silver light gathering around me as I stood on the bed in my oversized sleep shirt. Bastian’s wings flared out, ready to block any magical blasts Reiji threw at us. “You’re the Shadow King’s bitch.”

Reiji’s smile wavered. For a moment, I glimpsed something beneath his madness—a desperate need for validation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snapped, his corrupted magic crackling between his palms like lightning dipped in tar.

Running footsteps drew closer. Ren appeared in the doorway behind Reiji, her dark eyes wide with shock. Her confidence had shattered, leaving only raw pain as she stared at him.

“Reiji?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Little brother, what have you done?”

“Brother,” I mouthed, stunned by the revelation.

Reiji’s power fluctuated wildly. “What I had to,” he snarled, though his tone betrayed deeper wounds. “What you and mother were too afraid to do. The House of the Moon is weak. There’s no reason for us to bow and scrape and beg for the approval of this—” He sneered at me. “This bitch . We’re the strongest House. She should be on her knees, begging me to join her harem. Then, maybe you and Mother would finally see me.”

“Reji, please,” Ren begged, her heart breaking right in front of us, her voice carrying such profound sorrow that my chest ached. “We do see you. We love you.”

Reiji’s expression hardened as corrupted power gathered around him. “ Love ? What good is love without power? Without recognition?” His eyes blazed with an unnatural darkness that seemed to consume the light. “When I deliver her to the Shadow King, I won’t need love . I’ll be more powerful than you or Mother.” He held his head higher. “I’ll be the first High Priest of the House of the Stars.”

Ren guffawed. “If you do this, there won’t be a House of the Stars.”

“You’re wrong!” Reiji shouted, his eyes blazing.

Ren flinched, then stepped farther into the room. “Reiji,” she whispered, “please. This isn’t who you are. The corruption is speaking, not you.”

Reiji’s laugh held no warmth. “Who I am ? I’m what you and Mother made me. The unwanted prince. The disappointment. The one who was never enough.” His voice cracked on that last word, revealing the wounded child beneath the madness.

The sight of this powerful man breaking apart from within made my chest ache with unwanted recognition. How many times had I felt the exact same way? Never enough, always the second choice, the backup plan. I was never supposed to be High Queen. That had been meant for Amaya.

Javier crept into view behind Reiji, but I stilled him with a slice of my chin before he attacked.

“Reiji,” Ren’s voice softened as she moved closer to her brother, palms open in a plea. “This isn’t about power or worthiness. This is about family. About trust. Please, let me help you.”

For a moment, something flickered in Reiji’s expression—grief, raw and profound. The wrongness in his magic wavered. But then his eyes hardened again and corrupted power crackled around him.

“Help me? Like you helped me when Mother named you heir? Like you helped me prove myself worthy of our bloodline?” The corrupted magic intensified, filling the room with the stench of ozone and rot. “I don’t need your help anymore, sister. I have real power now.”

Ren’s anguish was a physical thing, her shoulders sinking as though bearing an invisible weight. “Some choices,” she whispered, “can’t be unmade.”

The corrupted magic surged forward like a cancerous mass. I braced for impact, silver light instinctively rising around me, but Ren moved with unexpected speed, positioning herself between us. Her hands sliced through the air in a complex pattern, starlight dancing at her fingertips, and everything immediately around her froze—Javier lunging at Reiji, my moonlight, her brother—as if solidified in amber.

“I’m sorry, little brother,” she said, her voice breaking. A constellation of light points erupted from her hands, expanding into a web of pure starlight that wrapped around Reiji.

He collapsed to his knees, his skin smoking where Ren’s magical net touched him.

Ren’s first spell faded, and Javier dropped unceremoniously to the floor as my blast of moonlight fizzled out.

Bastian’s wings slowly retracted, his transformed features easing back into his human form, though his eyes remained golden. “Soph,” he said softly, his hand reaching for mine. He steadied me as I climbed down from the bed. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, though power still hummed beneath my skin.

Ren knelt beside her captured brother, holding her hands over his head and murmuring words I couldn’t understand. A warm glow spread out from her hands and surrounded Reiji, and he went limp on the floor. Tenderly, she gathered his head onto her lap, brushing the hair from his forehead with gentle fingers. Her expression was an aching mixture of grief and relief.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, peering up at me. “For not destroying him when you had the chance.”

I nodded. “The Shadow King’s influence,” I said. “Can it be removed?”

Ren sighed. “That depends,” she said, measuring each word, “on how far the corruption has spread. And how much of him is left to save.” She looked at Javier. “He can’t travel through a portal bespelled like this. Is there a holding cell we can use? Something heavily warded against my kind, where he can be contained while I work to remove the shadow’s taint?”

“The dungeon,” Javier offered. “We have elemental cells.”

Ren nodded, her attention returning to me. “I’m sorry you got caught up in our little family drama,” she said wryly. “But you need to be careful. For whatever reason, the Shadow King is targeting you specifically. Reiji was right about one thing—you need to complete your harem as soon as possible. It’s the only way you’ll have even a hope of a chance against him.”

“Why—” I started, but floundered for words.

“Why did we lie?” Ren ventured. When I nodded, she said, “Our envoys guessed you’d welcome a courting prince more than a sword-wielding princess, and Reiji was eager to taste the throne. I let him—uncertain whether I even wanted it—and hiding in his shadow let me study you unguarded.”

“I’ll show you the way,” Javier said, holding an arm toward the doorway.

Ren stood, raising her brother off the floor with a flick of her wrist. He hovered behind her as she followed Javier.

I blew out a breath and flopped backward onto the bed.

Ren was the elemental heir. And her brother was working for the Shadow King.

What. A. Mess.