Page 24

Kassira

S in’s dragon crashes into the garden with the force of a natural disaster — wings slicing through air, claws cracking the earth beneath him. The ground shakes. Trees bow. His roar splits the sky open, daring anyone to come closer. No one does.

Everyone’s already fled. Everyone but the warriors. The ones still under the King’s Command.

“Throw the Shadow Fire!” Sinalyn screams from the edge of the chaos, pointing straight at her mother and sister. “It won’t hurt the King!”

“What do you think you’re doing, you miserable little worm?” Amira screeches at her.

But the red-headed witch standing behind Draven doesn’t move a muscle. Her eyes stay locked on us. Calculating. Cold.

Draven’s still motionless. Still hollow.

Sin doesn’t wait.

His long neck arches, jaws open wide — and black flame erupts from his throat like a scream of the void. It slams into the ruins of the gazebo, devouring it whole. The witch disappears into Draven’s shadow just before the blast hits. Amira dives to the side, barely escaping the inferno.

I leap from Sin’s back, land hard — knees jarred, muscles burning — and immediately draw the sword.

The warriors charge. Sin slams his wings wide.

One swing, and a dozen shifters are sent flying like leaves in a storm. He’s holding back. I know it. They’re not the enemy. Not truly. But they’ll keep coming unless something breaks the Command.

Amira comes for me next.

I grip the sword tighter. My whole body wants to shake but I force it still. I’d hoped to land closer to Draven. I can’t afford to waste time on her.

“We fight dirty,” Neris growls in my head. “Throw a rock. Kick her in the tits. Blind her with dirt. Anything.”

I don't get the chance.

A blur of gray fur barrels in from the side and slams into Amira mid-run. She flies through the air, crashing into a pillar with a sharp crack. Levi.

He’s already after her again, not missing a beat. Oh, perfect. He can handle her.

I run.

Draven. That’s all I see. All I care about. Kill him. Mark him. Save him.

I sprint through the garden, weaving between fallen stone and bursts of smoke, sword raised. I’m only a few feet away when the witch reappears from behind him, leash still in hand. Her eyes lock onto mine, and she smiles — a sick twist of mouth and teeth.

She yanks the leash. Draven’s head jerks violently, and he moves.

Fast. Too fast.

He catches the blade with his bare hand. Blood drips down the steel, but he doesn’t flinch. Just wrenches the sword from my grip and throws it like it’s nothing. It clatters uselessly across the stone.

Panic rises in my throat.

The witch bares her teeth. “You’re done, little girl,” she hisses.

I’m frozen. So close. Too far. Draven’s right there. But I can’t even touch him.

The world narrows — just me, him, her. The chaos fades. My pulse is thunder in my ears.

“Release him, witch,” I growl, teeth clenched.

She tilts her head, mocking. “Or what? What will you do, you weak little wolf? You’re powerless.” She tightens her grip on the leash even more, squeezing every ounce of hope out of me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Sinalyn — creeping up behind her mother. Silent. Lethal. She meets my eyes and flicks her fingers once.

Keep her talking.

Got it.

I force my voice steady. “So powerless you’re too scared to fight me yourself, huh? Thought you'd at least sic the hellhound on me. Guess I overestimated you.”

“Ah, ah,” the witch singsongs. “You clearly have a plan. You want to get close. But I’m not stupid.” She lifts her hand, magic glowing between her fingers. “I don’t need the hellhound to kill you. Just a spark. A flick. You’ll be ash before your wolf can flick her tail.”

“Eager to please your daddy, aren’t you?” I spit.

That does it.

Her eyes flare. Rage blooms across her face. “You don’t know anything about my father,” she growls.

“I know he’s a pathetic, bitter little god,” I snarl.

“Still crying over some battle he lost over two thousand years ago. And the only reason he had you was because he wanted an obedient idiot to carry his wishes without protest.” I’m jumping to a lot of conclusions here and making some wild assumptions based on the few pieces of information I’ve got, but I clearly hit my mark.

She screams — rage and magic building in her throat — and a huge piece of debris explodes near me, shrapnel whistling past my face. I flinch, biting down a scream.

That’s when Sinalyn strikes.

She lunges and grips her mother’s wrist — the one holding the leash.

Black spreads instantly across the witch’s skin, devouring her flesh like rot. She howls, thrashing, but Sinalyn doesn’t let go. She starts dragging her back, away from Draven.

The leash slips from her fingers.

“I can’t hold her for long — do it now!” Sinalyn shouts, her voice straining as she wrestles with her mother.

There’s no time to hesitate. No space for fear.

“We’re using claws, Neris,” I whisper. My voice is broken. Like cracked glass.

She doesn’t answer — just whimpers and gives them to me. Her claws slide through the tip of my fingers, and I leap. Straight into Draven’s chest, arms locked around his shoulders, legs around his waist, holding on like it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.

He doesn’t move. Doesn’t sway even a little.

But the second my skin touches his, the world explodes.

Sparks tear through me. His scent wraps around me like a comfort blanket — sun and fire and love. Tears prick instantly at the corners of my eyes. Everything falls silent. The chaos, the fire, the screams. All gone.

It’s just us now.

“I love you,” I breathe against his ear, voice shaking as my tears spill down his shoulder. “Even if I fail… I won’t be far behind.”

My lips press to the spot where his neck meets his shoulder — the place where his mark should’ve always been.

One arm tightens around him. The other raises, claws out, poised over his chest, fangs descending.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, and then I strike.

My fangs sink into his flesh at the same moment my claws rip through his chest. Right over his heart.

His blood hits my tongue. Not metallic. Not bitter. Sweet. Like wild berries soaked in honey. And gods, the bond hits like lightning.

I feel it open between us — a tunnel, a flare, a scream of light — linking mind to mind, soul to soul. His heart beneath my claws. His blood in my mouth. Everything burns. Magic fights back, dark and violent, but it fails. It dies.

The leash snaps. I feel it unravel.

Marking sigils light up across his skin for a heartbeat, bright and furious.

And then… the light flickers. And fades.The bond dips. And it dies.

I think I hear the witch screaming right when Draven’s legs give out and he falls to the ground, taking me with him. My soul is being ripped apart piece by piece, while his soul is already gone.

“No,” I sob into his skin, keeping my fangs locked in, refusing to let go even as the pain rips through me like a scythe. I tear my claws from his chest, wrap both arms tight around his neck, and hold.

And hold. And hold.

The world is nothing but absence. His soul is gone. And mine is shattering under the weight of it.

I don’t feel anything but pain anymore. I don’t even care if I live past this moment. I did everything I could. This was the only way I could fight. I gave everything I had. If he doesn’t come back… my twin soul… what use is there in fighting anymore? Who would I keep fighting for?

Neris feels like a raw wound inside my mind, bleeding all over my thoughts. She’s howling. We both are. His name, over and over, like a prayer to any god who would listen.

Draven, Draven, Draven.

The pain builds. My mind frays. I don’t know how long passes. Time slips away.

Through the agony, I feel a cold hand brushing the top of my head.

“You cry too loud,” a dark voice says. Low. Deep. Like a growl buried in shadows. And then, that cold touch is gone.

The next moment, I feel it. A beat. Weak, but there. Inside Draven’s chest. And then another one. And another.

I gasp, ripping my fangs from Draven’s neck, pressing my ear to his chest.

It’s real. It’s real. His heart is beating.

I dissolve into sobs, joy and agony mixing into something feral inside of me. My whole body is shaking with it.

His arms suddenly come around me, hugging me tight. Desperate. Possessive.

My breath leaves me all at once. The pain vanishes like it was never there. And our bond blazes back to life. Not just whole, but unbreakable. Brighter than anything I’ve ever felt.

“I love you too,” he whispers against my skin. That voice. That voice — deep and raw and his. Just like that, I break all over again.

“You heard that?” I sob, the words catching in my throat. Relief floods my entire body. He’s back, he’s alive.

“It was the only thing that got through,” he murmurs. “Your voice.”

He pulls back, cradling my face in his hand. Tilts my chin up. His storm-blue eyes are back, full of light. Full of him. No more red.

And there, at the corner of his mouth, is the ghost of a smile.

My mate is back.

“I’ll fucking kill you all!” the witch’s voice cracks through the air, venom and hate laced in every word.

Shit. I forgot about her.

Draven’s smile vanishes in an instant. Silver floods his eyes like moonlight swallowing the night sky. Before I can blink, he’s on his feet, lifting me with him. My legs instinctively lock around his waist.

He gives me a kiss. Short, sharp and sweet. Then he sets me down — careful, but fast.

My gaze instantly drops to his chest. Nothing. No dark bruise. No sign of the wound I carved there to bring him back. Just perfect, unmarred skin. I want to see my mark, my name seared into him, but he’s too damn tall.

All the air leaves my lungs when his wings explode from his back. Massive, blinding and on fucking fire!

“What the hell, Draven? You’re on fire!” I shout, stumbling back.

He smirks. Dark. Dangerous. Like he knows what he’s become.