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M orning light filtered through the cracked stained-glass windows of my study, casting fractured jewel-toned patterns across the chaos of scattered books and fallen shelves. The previous night’s confrontation with Reiji had left its mark—scorched wood where his corrupted magic had struck bookcases, shattered glass from light fixtures, and, worst of all, hundreds of ancient texts strewn across the floor, many scarred with tears or char marks.

I knelt beside a stack of books, carefully checking each spine for damage before placing it in one of the growing piles around me. My librarian’s soul wept at the disorganized mess of such rare, priceless books.

“This classification system makes no sense,” I muttered, squinting at faded runes on a leather binding. “Why would you shelve a grimoire on classical elemental practice next to a history of vampire lineages?”

Micah glanced up from his laptop, where he was cataloging the salvaged books I’d already cleared for re-shelving into a makeshift spreadsheet. His fingers paused over the keyboard. “Maybe they were organized by author instead of subject?”

“Doubtful.” I sighed, pushing a stray strand of hair from my face. Many of the books didn’t even have named authors. “When we’re done, I’m implementing Library of Congress standards. At least then we might be able to find something when we need it.”

The normality of the task—organizing books, creating systems, applying order to chaos—provided a thin veneer of comfort over the turmoil beneath. My connection to Gavin had grown fainter overnight, wisps of sensation where there should have been a solid tether. Each time I reached for him through our bond, I felt only echoes of pain. That, paired with Reiji’s revelations and Ren’s warning—that the Shadow King wasn’t just after our world, but he was after me , in particular—had my thoughts spinning around and around a single conclusion.

I needed Gavin here with me. I couldn’t wait another day. I had to go to the Sun Keep and free him. Now.

But how ?

Micah set his laptop aside and picked up the next book from his current stack, carefully dusting debris from its embossed cover. Since Reiji’s attack, he’d thrown himself into helping me with a quiet determination. In place of the awkward freshman I’d tutored was a young man who understood far more about the immortal world than I’d ever wanted him to.

“I found something interesting,” he said, nodding toward the spreadsheet. “A bunch of these books deal with curses—specifically, the shifter curse. It’s like your mom researched it. A lot.”

I stood on my knees and carefully placed a cracked crystal moon paperweight back on the desk. “She must have been looking for a solution.” It was common knowledge that Veris had attacked the House of the Moon because my mom refused to even attempt to break the curse.

But what if that was only half the truth? If my mom knew the curse had been placed on the shifters to protect them from the shadow taint infecting their magic, then maybe she had refused until she could find a better alternative. What if she’d been looking for a way to cleanse the shadow taint from their magic altogether? Or maybe she’d been looking for a way to curse them harder.

“Look at this,” Micah said, holding open a leather-bound volume filled with yellowed pages and spidery writing.

But before I could rise to take a closer look, the door to the study opened, revealing Ren. The elemental moved with fluid grace, stepping carefully over a fallen shelf. Without her brother’s shadow falling over her, she seemed somehow more substantial, the guarded mask giving way to something more authentic.

“No consorts?” she asked, one brow cocked, her dark eyes meeting mine after scanning the room.

I grabbed a book and hugged it to my chest, like armor. “They’re worried about another attack.”

She sniffed. “Shouldn’t they be with you, then?”

I smiled, mostly to myself. “They’re never far from me.” In fact, at that very moment, I could sense Ash making his way down the hallway, just a few doors away.

Something shifted in Ren’s expression, a subtle crack in her composed exterior. Her gaze flicked to the books stacked around me, and she moved deeper into the study, her fingers trailing over a shelf of artifacts that had somehow remained upright through Reiji’s assault.

“I need to tell you something about my brother,” she said. “I’ve been working to isolate the shadow corruption in him, but…” She hesitated, uncertainty flickering across her features, and leaned her hip on the edge of the desk. “I can’t find it.”

I blinked, unsure I’d heard correctly. “What do you mean, you can’t find it?”

“I mean, there’s no trace of shadow corruption in him. Nothing.” Ren’s brow furrowed. “I’ve searched his spirit thoroughly. There’s nothing there.”

“But we all saw him,” I said. “The darkness in his magic, the way he spoke…”

“I don’t know what it means,” she said, her stare haunted. “I can’t explain it.”

“But…” I shook my head. “We felt the shadow’s influence.”

Ren sighed. “Maybe if Reiji was working with the shadow voluntarily, he wouldn’t need a mark of corruption to coerce him. If he chose the shadow. Sought it out. If it was something he did, not something that was done to him. Maybe?”

The implication settled like ice in my veins, despite her uncertainty. How much harder to face a betrayal born of choice rather than corruption?

“Ren, if that’s true…” My heart broke for her all over again. “I’m so sorry.”

Her stare hardened. “I’m not sharing this for sympathy,” she said, a slight edge to her voice. “It’s a warning. There’s a good chance the Shadow King’s influence has spread further into this world than we realized.” She absently traced a scorch mark on the desk. “Your House is weak, Sophie, but you are not. I understand the frustration of feeling forced into a role you never wanted. Of having to lead and make choices that impact the lives of thousands. Of knowing that every decision that benefits one group of people will hurt another. Of feeling like everything you do, even if it’s a win, is also a failure.”

I swallowed, a sinking feeling gnawing in my gut.

“You no longer have the luxury of waiting,” she went on. “You must complete your harem and claim your birthright, or the House of the Moon and the House of the Stars and the House of the Sun, along with every other living being—mortal and immortal alike—will be wiped from the face of the earth.”

Micah looked from Ren to me and back, his eyes opened wide.

Ren pushed off the edge of the desk, crossed to me, and knelt before me. “I will help you in any way I can,” she said. “Obviously, you can’t bind Reiji after last night, but you still need a consort from the House of the Stars. I would offer myself to fulfill that role.” She bowed her head. “If you would have me.”

“I—” I glanced at Micah, swallowing hard. Something in my expression made him jump to his feet.

“I’m going to pee or get a sandwich or something,” he blurted. “Not at the same time, obviously,” he rambled. “First sandwich, then pee, or… It doesn’t really matter.” He made a beeline for the door.

After he was gone, I returned my attention to Ren, who watched me closely. I licked my lips and looked down at my knees. “I can’t always differentiate between blood lust and normal lust,” I confessed, my cheeks heating. “I’m getting better at it, but communions are usually pretty intense,” I added in a rush. I dragged my focus back up to her face. “Just so you know what you’re volunteering for.”

A sly Mona Lisa smile curved Ren’s lips, making my belly do a pleasant flip flop. “I have no problem with that arrangement, if you don’t.”

“I—” I stared at her, a pleasant, full-body buzz spreading through me. To my own surprise, I found myself nodding without hesitation. The certainty that bloomed inside me caught me off guard—this felt right in a way I couldn't explain. “I don't have a problem with it either.”

Ren snagged my hand, peeling my fingers away from the book’s spine, placed her palm flush against mine. I felt a wash of effervescent power cascade up my arm and through my body. “Good,” she said softly. “But first, you need to retrieve your absent consort… And I think I can also help you with that.”

My brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” I stared at her hand against mine, at the source of that pleasant, full-body buzz. “What are you doing to me?”

“Blocking your consorts from eavesdropping on our conversation,” she said, drawing my attention back up to her face.

“They’re already on their way,” I said, sensing them approaching.

“Then I’ll speak quickly,” she said. “There is one thing Veris wants more than anything else.”

“To break the curse,” I guessed. “But that’ll increase the shadow’s influence on all the shifters.”

She laughed, the sound dark. “What does it matter now? The Shadow King is already breaking down the door.” Her expression turned deadly serious. “I can get you through the portal to the Sun Keep, but you must not bring your consorts, or Veris will use them against you. You must go alone, offer a trade—the curse for your consort—fulfill the trade, and return. I’ll join you, of course. You’ll need a Star consort to work the ritual in tandem, appealing to both Selene and Eos.”

“I have to get the queens too,” I said in a rush, glancing over my shoulder at the door. Javier was almost here, Bastian close behind him. “Gavin will never leave without them.”

Ren waved a hand dismissively. “He has no need for them once the curse is broken. Meet me tonight. The graveyard. Midnight.”

“They’re here,” I breathed.

And Ren shocked me by standing on her knees, grasping my face in her hands, and pressing her lips against mine just as the door swung open.

The kiss landed like a shooting star—brilliant and unexpected. Her lips were cool against mine, tasting of floral herbs and something both ancient and new. Not demanding like my consorts’ kisses, but exploratory. A question. An answer.

I heard the sharp intake of breath from the doorway, sensing the immediate tension radiating from my consorts through our bonds. But I couldn’t break away, caught in this unforeseen moment of connection.

When Ren finally pulled back, her dark eyes glittered with secrets like distant galaxies. The corner of her mouth lifted in subtle satisfaction as she cast a deliberate glance toward the doorway where Javier and Bastian stood frozen.

Neither of my consorts spoke, but the silent storm brewing in Javier’s eyes and the golden gleam surfacing in Bastian’s said everything. Centuries of possessive instinct warred with their respect for my autonomy.

“Midnight,” Ren mouthed. She rose gracefully to her feet, smoothing her clothing with unhurried precision. The confidence in her posture as she walked toward my consorts was a masterclass in calculated nonchalance.

Javier didn’t move away from the doorway, forcing her to pause before him. The silent standoff lasted only seconds, but felt infinite—Prime Consort and Star heir, ancient powers sizing each other up. Finally, he shifted just enough to let her pass, his jaw clenched tight enough that I could see the muscle twitching from across the room.

I touched my fingertips to my lips, still feeling the lingering tingle of her kiss. Heat crept into my cheeks as I met Bastian’s stare.

The weight of tonight’s task settled in my chest like a stone. What was I willing to risk? What might I have to sacrifice? For Gavin. For all of us.

The door clicked shut behind Ren, leaving me alone with my consorts and the dangerous hope burning in my chest.