Page 35

35

T he ritual chamber fell silent as Reiji and I returned, Gavin trailing behind us. My wrist still tingled from where Gavin had smeared his immortal blood. Undead vampires—especially those who’d received guardian status via the Second Rite—had much more potent healing capabilities than any other immortal.

The bond between Reiji and me pulsed with newness, shallow and uncertain, nothing like the deep roots I shared with my other consorts. But it was enough—a lifeline connecting the House of the Moon and the House of the Stars. An alliance born of necessity rather than desire.

Veris remained on his stone throne, his keen eyes tracking us as we entered, his gaze lingering on the silver bonding mark encircling Reiji’s wrist like a phantom bracelet. His nostrils flared, no doubt catching the scent of our mingled blood, the telltale evidence of our communion .

“I see the binding was successful,” he said, his voice carrying an edge that hadn’t been there before. Jealousy, perhaps. Or disappointment that Reiji had claimed what Veris believed should be his.

I straightened my spine, the box containing my mom’s hair weighing heavy in my pocket. My mom, trapped here for decades by this monster. Veris, serving the Shadow King while pretending to be a champion of his own people. The knowledge burned through me like acid.

“It was,” I replied, stepping forward. Gavin moved with me, a shadow at my back. “Let’s get this over with.” The wrongness tainting this place set my teeth on edge, and I didn’t want to be here one second longer than was necessary.

Veris stood, and his smile reminded me of a shark—all teeth, all hunger. “Not quite yet.” He descended from his elevated position, each step measured and deliberate. “You still require one more consort to complete your harem.”

I laughed, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “Not a chance.”

“The ancient texts are quite clear,” Veris insisted, moving closer. “A High Queen requires seven consorts to channel the full power of Selene.” He gestured to himself, straightening the cuffs of his tailored suit. “And as I mentioned earlier, I am uniquely qualified to fill that role.”

My stomach turned at the suggestion, revulsion crawling up my spine. “Absolutely not.”

“Let me be blunt,” Veris continued, undeterred. “ You need me. Without a full harem, you cannot appeal to Selene with sufficient strength to break the curse.” His eyes hardened. “Unless you wish to return empty-handed? To abandon your precious consort and those remaining queens to indefinite imprisonment?”

The blatant manipulation might have worked if I hadn’t already channeled Selene’s power.

I felt Reiji’s uncertainty through our new bond, my awareness of him growing stronger with each passing minute. He projected calm certainty for Veris’s benefit, but beneath it swirled a hurricane of emotions—doubt, fear, determination. Learning his trusted ally was a servant of the Shadow King had shaken him to his core.

“No,” I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart.

Veris’s expression darkened, calculation giving way to cold fury. “Then our deal is void.”

“The deal was that I would break the curse in exchange for Gavin and the queens,” I reminded him. “Nothing was said about binding you.”

“The technicality was implied.” Veris moved closer, his presence oppressive. “Let me explain something, girl. This is my domain. My rules. I am the highest power in this room, and I have final say on the terms of our arrangement.” His amber eyes burned with ancient hunger. “Bind me, or watch your consort suffer for your childish refusal.”

At his words, the shifter commanders stepped forward, swinging the assault rifles strapped to their backs around and aiming the weapons at Gavin. It was far enough from the full moon that they couldn’t shift, but they wouldn’t need to with all those guns.

I felt power stirring within me, moonlight pulsing beneath my skin. My consorts’ essence flowed through me—Javier’s steadfast protection, Bastian’s primal wildness, Gavin’s calculating precision, Ash’s immovable strength, Thane’s depthless patience, and now Reiji’s cosmic clarity. The magic from their blood charged mine.

“Enough,” I said, my voice resonating with the full force of my will . “Sit down, Veris.”

The command struck him like a physical blow. He staggered, his eyes widening with shock as my will wrapped around him like invisible chains. For a moment, he fought against it, centuries of power battling my command.

Then, to the visible shock of every shifter in the chamber, he sat heavily on the stairs leading up to his throne.

“How dare—”

“Shut up, Veris,” I commanded.

His mouth snapped shut, his teeth clacking together audibly.

Silence descended as the immortal king was cut down to size by my words. By my will . His commanders stood frozen, uncertainty and fear replacing their earlier confidence. They had likely never seen their king dominated, never witnessed his indomitable will broken. It took all my self-control not to betray my surprise at how easily I had subdued him.

“You are not the highest power in this room,” I told him. “ I am.”

I felt Gavin’s approval through our bond, his pride in my strength washing over me like a warm wave. He positioned himself between me and the shifter commanders, ready to defend despite his weakened state.

I turned to Reiji. “Ready?”

Reiji hesitated, seeming torn where he had been resolute moments ago. All other emotions had faded into the background through our bond, and now all I sensed was fear. He took a deep breath and, finally, nodded, moving toward the altar at the center of the chamber. “We’ll need to work quickly,” he murmured. “Your command won’t hold him indefinitely.”

I glanced at Veris, uneasy.

Reiji and I approached the ancient altar, its stone surface cool beneath my fingertips. The manganese veins pulsed with sickening corruption. This sacred place had been desecrated, just as the shifters themselves had been corrupted from within. Yet, the shifters seemed completely unaware. How they couldn’t sense it was beyond me. I supposed that was the true curse—how the shifters had been blinded to their own poison.

“The ritual is complex,” Reiji explained, his voice low and urgent. “We’ll need to combine our magic—starlight and moonlight—to appeal to Selene and Eos simultaneously.” He traced patterns on the altar’s surface, his fingers leaving trails of crystallized starlight. “Follow my lead.”

I placed my hands on the altar beside his, feeling the weight of centuries pressing down on me. Of millennia. This ritual had been performed only once before, when the curse was first laid. Now, we would undo what our ancestors had done, for better and for worse. But it had to be done.

“I’ll reach out to Eos,” Reiji continued, his shoulder brushing mine, “while you call upon Selene.” His dark eyes met mine, raw honesty bleeding through our bond. “Whatever happens, Sophie, know that I truly believed I was doing what was right. For all immortals.”

There was something in his tone that sent a chill down my spine, a finality I couldn’t identify. “Reiji—”

“We need to begin,” he interrupted, glancing at Veris and placing his palms flat on the altar. “Place your hands atop mine.”

I hesitated, thrown off by what I was feeling through our bond, but only for a moment. I slid between his body and the altar until his arms caged me in. Pressing my lips together, I laid my hands over his, our fingers interlacing. Power surged between us, our newborn bond flaring with sudden intensity. His starlight met my moonlight, dancing together over the altar in spirals of ancient magic.

Reiji began to chant in a language I didn’t recognize but instinctively understood—godspeak, the divine tongue—spoken before humans walked the earth and developed languages of their own. The words resonated within my bones, awakening something primal and otherworldly. Without thinking, I joined him, the syllables falling from my lips as though I’d known them all my life.

Power built between us, swirling around the altar like liquid light. The manganese veins in the walls brightened, then darkened, as though something within them was fighting against our magic. Cancer fighting chemo. Shadow corruption battling cosmic forces.

Our voices rose together, the chant becoming a song that echoed through the vast chamber. The candles surrounding the altar flared higher, their flames turning silver and white.

Through our bond, I felt Reiji’s determination harden into something immovable. His part of the ritual grew more intense, his starlight flames burning brighter, hotter.

“For three powers divided by the same darkness,” he intoned, switching to English.

“For three powers meant to stand as one,” I continued, the words flowing through me from some ancient memory.

“For the magic that must never fade,” we said together, our voices harmonizing with unearthly resonance.

The altar beneath our hands started to vibrate, symbols etched into its surface illuminating one by one. I recognized them now—runes of power, godspeak given form.

“I call upon Selene, goddess of the night sky,” I chanted, silver light cascading from my skin.

“I call upon Eos, goddess of the dawn,” Reiji answered, effervescent starlight building around him like a corona.

“We seek to undo what was wrought in necessity,” we said together.

The air grew thick with power, making it difficult to breathe. The shadows in the corners of the chamber writhed as though disturbed by our invocation.

“Show us the path to liberation,” Reiji continued, his voice strained.

“Show us the price that must be paid,” I finished.

The words had barely left my lips when the altar blazed with blinding light. A voice that wasn’t Reiji’s, wasn’t mine, and wasn’t just one voice but many, resonated through the chamber.

“All magic demands sacrifice,” it intoned. “To bind requires blood freely given. To unbind requires life freely surrendered.”

Ice flooded my veins as understanding dawned. The curse had been sealed with blood—powerful, magical blood. Breaking it would require something more.

“A life?” I breathed, horror twisting my stomach. I craned my neck, peering over my shoulder at Reiji.

The truth was written in his expression. He had known. Perhaps not the specifics, but he had suspected the price would be steep. His life, or mine.

“No,” I said, trying to pull my hands away. “We’ll find another way.”

His fingers tightened around mine and he pressed forward, pinning me against the altar, holding me in place. “There’s no other way,” he said softly, his lips brushing my ear. “The elemental texts were clear. Breaking the curse requires sacrifice.”

My heart pounded. He was going to sacrifice me. This was just another manipulation. Another illusion.

“Then we don’t break it,” I insisted, squirming in his hold. “We’ll find another way to—”

“No.” Reiji sliced his chin to the side and closed his eyes, like he was gathering the resolve to do something distasteful. Like kill me. “The Shadow King is already breaking through. We can’t stop him without united Houses, and the shifters will never truly unite with us while cursed.” His dark eyes held mine, steady and resolved. “This was always how it had to end.”

“Reiji, wait—”

“The curse weakens all of us,” he continued, opening his eyes to stare at Veris, straining against my commands. “It’s a bandage on a festering wound, useful once but now hindering true healing.” He looked at me, finally, but there was no apology in his stare. There was only boundless sadness. “I’ve made so many mistakes.” He bent his neck, claiming my lips before I could pull away. His kiss was fierce and harsh and painful, and when he pulled away, we were both breathing hard. “Let me do this one thing right.”

And then I understood. He wasn’t going to sacrifice me. He was going to sacrifice himself .

Before I could stop him, he released my hands and placed his palms directly on the central symbol of the altar—a sun, moon, and stars. “I, Reiji of the House of the Stars, descendant of the first children of Eos, offer myself as sacrifice.” His voice rang with authority, with conviction. “I surrender my essence freely to break the bonds laid upon the children of Helios.”