Kael did was rea

ot believe what I was seeing until

Mara s

d me off t

upils spinning like tiny storms. The expression on

ot recog

," I

ip tig

wrist, struggl

k at

ted hi

le spread acr

" he whispere

ame out of his m

filled with a cruelty th

ae

not dis

entered

her!" Dar

s, but Kael flung h

yard and struck the wall har

screamed

barely h

as fading a

es, desperately searchi

," I wh

ickered acro

of a second, hi

en

as K

K

ring in his

rs tighte

d not

n the hands of the m

such terrible clarity tha

n him anot

th my heart even aft

as paying for a decision

o

not die

a prophecy

ancient king

man I loved could

l's wrist wi

ME

exploded fr

thrown

he stone steps an

hing violently as air ru

ached m

er arms aroun

ena. O

trembling so badly tha

tyard, my mothe

an you h

d not

them, blood running from

t touc

ther

ared at K

ession ha

myself

stop

cann

fter everything we just d

at me with e

atever entered him is now

mach d

oes tha

ntrol of Kael completely, he may

yard seem

t the broken ri

er piece had fallen away. They remained joined by a t

to pull

through

Darius

fr

ordinary object. It has

nnot rem

ut risking

laugh e

cour

as simple

emanded another sacrifice, and everyone seemed to ex

ed of bei

my old

and discover that this had

ael g

ed tow

steadied. The black veins were gone, leavi

ide him, carefully

ve," she

rough me before

l opened

re ambe

confusion before his

en

not

ed to

happ

emembering his han

ied to

ce wen

ha

nd my neck and squeezed

hands as though they b

N

ped ba

on

ped imm

never h

e something i

lready

though I ha

now what I

complete the bond. But I still h

s mouth, the

id not try to

rned

Darius sp

a signal through every surviving bloodlin

e?" I

nod

want to use you. And some will kill you be

derf

r approa

ke you some

he

hesi

oti

er, w

y beneath the nor

shook h

been sealed for

ow how to

ared

er told

things I never t

er look

have told you a

o be angry

of me

remembered that she had spent years hi

choices out

make every

made he

going,"

ggled to

ming wi

N

mouth before anyo

ared

, the

about th

you through me, you

d to fa

at happens? Will I have to fight you ever

ossed h

t him hurt

stop him the

ered h

w much tha

everything was fine simp

space,

dded

w m

n't k

to hurt him more th

ht," he

before I could

courtyard

close to me. My mother walked ahead, following a pa

owed at a

ry to speak

have been

step reminded me of th

d made

s brushing against mine,

il

e

ve so fierce that it a

elonged to Kael or whether the bond was

frightened me mor

hour, we reached

l of black stone cover

her st

s is

ied th

s nothi

e," she replied. "You s

ned tow

to place your hand

sita

hy

nctuary recogni

y palm agai

ng ha

beneath my ski

s lit up o

rolled throu

e middle, revealing a stairc

carrying the smell of du

r exhale

d never have to

s this

ge of your fat

into the

l like something insi

y ans

tep toward t

drifted up

o

ili

oss

e

ped br

that

in my dreams

of the father I b

in. "Do not trust the ma

sharply t

teps behind us, hi

eyes flas

the sanctuary, my dead