A guttural roar tore from his chest, echoing off the walls like the cry of a wild animal caught in a snare. He slammed his fists into the stone floor, welcoming the sharp bloom of pain. Blood smeared across the stone as he struck again and again. He deserved it. Every bruise. Every drop of spilled blood.
He had broken his chains—but she had put them back.
The shadows curled closer, wrapping around his broken hands like a lover’s caress. Their whispers echoed his grief, a hundred voices speaking at once as dark tendrils snaked around his wrists and tightened around his heart.
Loren roared again, his voice cracking as the sound collapsed into a hoarse, broken wail. Finally, exhausted, he sank to the floor and cradled his bloodied hands in his lap.
For the first time in years, he let the tears fall.
Chapter
Ten
Araya clutchedthe velvet-lined case of the fae prince’s blood to her chest as they climbed the endless stairs. Neither of them spoke until Jaxon closed the workshop door with a decisive click. A whiff of burnt aether stung her nose as he traced the rune for silence,thynglowing silver-blue against the dark wood.
“Lock those in the safe,” he said. “In iron. No sense taking any chances.”
Araya nodded, her fingers fumbling as she sealed her entire kit—vials, cloth, everything—into one of the iron-bound boxes meant for cursed objects. The cold metal seared her skin, the sting lingering even after she closed the door on it, as if she could lock the truth away too.
Loren. The male who haunted her dreams wasn’t just real—he was the lost heir to the fae throne, imprisoned by the Arcanum for twenty-five years. And the way he’d looked at her… he’d recognized her.
If Jaxon had seen it…
Araya’s breath hitched, her heartbeat roaring in her ears as she stared at the locked safe without seeing it. Jaxon would never justbrush that off—he’d dig. And if he found out about the dreams…would he call her to task for keeping secrets she hadn’t even known she had?
And then there was the magic. She hadn’t thought, hadn’t reached for a rune, hadn’t done anything deliberate. It had justhappened. The shield, the surge of aether...the shadows. Gods, theshadows. She had no idea why that had happened. What possible explanation could there be for how they’d reacted to her? Curling around her like they knew her?
Araya let out a shuddering breath, pressing her hand to her chest as she struggled to compose herself. She would just have to explain—he would listen. Jaxon always listened to her.
She turned, opening her mouth to tell him she had no idea what had happened, but he was already there, his arms caging her against the safe. Araya froze. Her explanations caught in her throat as she braced for the worst—but instead, Jaxon’s lips found the curve of her neck.
“That was incredible, Starling,” he murmured, pressing slow, hungry kisses against her skin.
She gasped, shivering as he kissed the spot just below her ear. “You’re—not angry?”
“How could I be angry? The way you defended me—” he nipped her lightly, laughing when she yelped before soothing the sting with his lips. “It was positivelyfaeof you.”
He pulled back, watching her with bright, hungry eyes. “Have you always been able to do that?”
“Of course not.” Araya wrenched herself from his grip, stepping back and wrapping her arms around herself so he wouldn’t see how badly she was shaking. “I’ve never—I swear?—”
“Araya,” Jaxon interrupted, watching her with an amusement that felt horribly out of place. “Take a breath, Starling. You’re not in trouble.”
She stopped, staring at him. How could she not be in trouble? And why didn’t he even look surprised?
“It’s just power, Starling,” he said, soothing, indulgent—like she was being ridiculous. “You know magic theory. You’re holding more aether than ever before. It’s only natural that you’d start to exhibit more fae traits.”
He grinned wider, his voice dipping lower. “You should embrace it—you’ve never looked more beautiful.”
Araya shuddered, pressing her back against the nearest table. The way he was looking at her wasn’t affection—it was fascination. He’d let her magic accumulate,watchedit swell and fester inside her—just to see what it would do. Just to see whatshewould do.
“Are youstudyingme?” Araya snapped. “Is that all this is to you? Another research project? If anyone else had seen that—” she shuddered. She would be in chains right now.
“No one did,” Jaxon said. Before she could step away, he reached for her, pulling her flush against him. His hand cupped the back of her neck, fingers tangling gently in her hair. “Except the prince—and he won’t tell anyone.”
Araya stiffened, but he only smiled, brushing his thumb over her jaw in a gesture that might have looked tender to anyone else.
“You’re the first person he’s spoken to in years,” he murmured, like it was something to be proud of. “You really did play your part brilliantly.”
