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“I thought I could let her go. I thought with time my feelings for her would fade. But they’d only grown. With every passing decade I craved her more and more. I would have her. No matter the cost, Myanin would be mine.” ~ Shade

S hade paced in front of the draheim veil like a caged animal, his long, black hair falling in his face.

The Nushtonia was clutched tightly in his hands, its cold, malevolent energy seeping into his skin, but he barely registered it.

His thoughts were a storm, a relentless swirl of emotions he couldn’t control, no matter how hard he tried.

He was close—so close—to finding Myanin, and yet it still felt like she was a thousand realms away.

When he’d opened the book, the power of it reached out to the darkness inside of him and called to him.

Shade was no spring chicken. He was no fool either.

He knew that wolves weren’t the only ones with darkness inside of them.

Every species has the capacity for evil.

Even the djinn. And apparently, like called to like.

He’d given the book what it wanted—more blood—then he’d spoken Myanin’s name, and clear as day in his mind, he saw the draheim realm.

He knew in his gut that the book was showing him where she was.

He growled low in his throat, his black eyes flicking to the shimmering barrier before him.

The veil pulsed faintly, its magic weak and faltering, but it was still a wall between him and the answers he needed.

Between him and her . His grip on the Nushtonia tightened as he fought the urge to tear the veil apart with his bare hands.

It wouldn’t work, and he knew it, but the temptation was there all the same.

Myanin .

Her name echoed in his mind, a constant drumbeat that wouldn’t relent.

He hated her for what she’d done. For leaving him, for abandoning their people, for betraying the djinn and then daring to mate with a warlock.

The anger burned hot and fierce in his chest, but underneath, it tangled up like vines around his heart, was something else.

Something softer. Something he hated even more than his rage.

Longing.

Shade clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together as he forced the thought away.

He didn’t have time for this. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions cloud his judgment.

And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop the memories from creeping in.

Myanin’s laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she was excited, the way she challenged him, pushed him, made him feel like he could be more than the rage and power that defined him.

He hated her for leaving, but he hated himself even more for still wanting her back. But he’d made her a promise. He’d come for her one day, and that day had come.

“Raith,” Shade muttered. His eyes scanned the clearing. “Where the hell did he run off to this time?”

Edric, one of his three companions, snorted, his black eyes gleaming with amusement.

The dark-skinned djinn leaned casually against a jagged boulder, his arms crossed as he watched Shade with a knowing smirk.

“He claimed nature called. Convenient timing. But are you surprised? Raith’s impulsive.

He’s probably off throwing himself into some ridiculous situation, as usual. ”

Shade huffed, his grip on the Nushtonia tightening until his knuckles actually hurt from the pressure.

He didn’t have time for Raith’s antics, not now.

The djinn warrior was reckless and contrary, always pushing boundaries, but Shade needed him here.

The veil wouldn’t open without all of them working together.

“Focus,” Shade snapped. He turned to Edric and Valin, the latter standing quietly off to the side, his expression grim. “Raith’s not here, and I’m not wasting time chasing him. We have work to do.”

Valin nodded, and his dark hair fell into his eyes. “What’s the plan, Shade? The Nushtonia is powerful, yes, but we don’t know how it will interact with the veil.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Shade’s emotions were dangerously close to the surface, and he struggled to keep them in check. He couldn’t afford to let his thoughts drift to Myanin again. Not now.

But his anger found another outlet, one that burned just as fiercely. Thadrick.

The name was poison in his mind, a reminder of betrayal that still cut deep.

Thadrick, once a trusted brother, had turned his back on their people.

He’d chosen Jezebel, a white witch, over Myanin, one of their own.

Shade’s hands tightened around the book as the rage bubbled to the surface.

He had trusted Thadrick. Respected him. And the other djinn had thrown it all away for a witch.

“Shade.” Edric’s voice pulled him back to the present. “What’s the plan?”

Shade exhaled slowly, forcing the anger back down.

It wasn’t the time for this. He couldn’t let his emotions rule him now, not when they were so close.

“We’ll use the blood-binding spell from the first sealing, but we’ll modify the words to unbind instead.

The Nushtonia has to be the key. We just need to figure out how to turn it. ”

Edric raised a brow, pushing off the boulder. “And you’re sure this won’t end with us trapped in some void between realms?”

“I’m not sure of anything,” Shade snapped, his patience thinning. “But do you have a better idea?”

Edric shrugged, but his expression hardened as he stepped closer. “No. Let’s do this.”

Together, the three djinn stood before the Nushtonia .

Shade began to chant, reciting the ancient words of the binding spell, his voice steady despite the weight of the magic pressing down on him.

Edric and Valin joined in, their voices weaving together with his, creating a harmony of power that resonated in the clearing.

The book pulsed in Shade’s hands. Its pages glowed faintly as the runes seemed to shift and writhe.

He felt a sharp pain in his palm as the book demanded his blood, and without hesitation, he pressed his hand to the page, letting the crimson droplets seep into the parchment.

Edric and Valin followed suit, their blood mingling with his.

The magic intensified as it soaked into the book.

The air around them crackled, heavy with energy. The Nushtonia began to hum. Its light grew brighter, more blinding. Shade’s heart pounded in his chest as he adjusted the chant, changing the binding words to those of release.

And then, the veil began to ripple.