“That’s what you remember, anyway.” Jaxon shrugged. “You were quite young. I’ll have to dig into your records to try and figure it out. But imagine it—what ifyoucould claim the shadows? You’d be a weapon that could change the balance of power entirely?—”
Araya caught her breath. “But you said you’d dispel the shadows,” she protested. “The fae in the districts?—”
“I know what I said,” Jaxon snapped. “But this is awar, Araya. Just because you don’t see it being fought here doesn’t mean it isn’t killing people—humansandfae. What if we could apply this to the Eldergreen? If we win there, we help everyone. Not just the fae in Ravonfar.”
The walls of the carriage seemed to close in around her, the scent of vanilla and burning aether slowly suffocating her. Jaxon’s voice hummed in the background, smooth and enthusiastic, as though he hadn’t just dismissed the fae as casualties of progress. She glanced back out the window, fighting the bile rising in her throat.
But his words found her anyway, curling around her like a vice. “We’re so close, Starling,” he said, his tone almost gentle. “Imagine what we could do if we harnessed that power. The possibilities…”
She clenched her jaw, her nails biting into the fabric of her dress.At what cost?The question burned on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it down, knowing it wouldn’t matter. Jaxon had already made his decision.
Araya looked away, unable to bear the ruthlessness in his gaze. It wasn’t just indifference to the fae in Ravonfar—it was an unflinching conviction that any cost was worth it, that any life was expendable if it meant achieving his goals. Her hands were shaking now, her bag trembling in her lap. She needed to get out of this carriage, awayfrom Jaxon’s suffocating presence, away from the weight of what she had unleashed on the world.
She clenched her jaw as the carriage approached their building, tracing the outline of the case holding the amulets through the fabric of her bag. “You should go in,” she said. “These really need to be stored in the dungeon workshop. I can have the carriage take me back?—”
“Absolutely not.” Jaxon shook his head. “That amulet stays with one of us at all times. Hale already got in there once—I’m not giving him a chance to take this away from us.”
Araya’s heart sank as the carriage lurched to a stop. She had no choice but to follow him, to step out into the cold night air and walk up the steps to their apartment. The unlit apartment felt more ominous than it normally did, like the shadows clinging to the wall were part of the mists waiting to consume her and leave only bones behind.
Araya wanted to flee, to lock herself in some small, safe room and press her back against the door until her mind finally quieted. But Jaxon was watching her, so she just wiggled her feet out of her boots and kicked them into place by the door
“Lock those in my office,” he said, stepping out of his own boots.
Araya flinched, hastily closing the door to the safe and sealing its contents away. Jaxon leaned against the doorframe, watching her. His smile was soft—but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Before she could step away, he crossed the room in three easy strides and slid an arm around her waist. She stiffened, instinctively trying to step back—but he lifted her effortlessly and set her on the edge of his desk.
“Jaxon—” she caught her breath, heat flushing across her skin. “I’m tired. I just want to go to sleep.”
“This will only take a moment,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
That’s when she saw her bloodletting kit in his other hand.
“Jaxon…” she protested, her voice faltering.
“It’s just a little blood,” he said soothingly. He opened her kit, spreading out her supplies beside her on the desk. “We can only take so much at once—with the time it takes to distill it…well, it only makes sense to start now, doesn’t it?”
She opened her mouth to protest again, but he tightened the tourniquet around her arm, already moving on.
“Tomorrow, I’ll look into your history,” he said absently, his focus on her arm. “The Arcanum reviewed them before they approved our bond, of course. But maybe they missed something?—”
He tapped her arm, searching for the vein. She flinched as the needle slid in—a sharp sting, followed by a slow, pulsing ache. His other hand settled on her knee, grounding her—or maybe he was trapping her. Araya wasn’t sure. Not anymore.
“You’re special, Starling,” he murmured, staring at her dark blood flowing into the vial. “More special than either of us realized.”
Araya stared at the edge of the desk, her eyes stinging as she blinked hard. She couldn’t look at him—at the blood, at what he was taking from her.
“There,” Jaxon said at last, removing the needle with brisk efficiency. “See? That didn’t take long at all.”
Araya stared down at her blood, neatly collected into vials and tucked into the velvet-lined case. “You didn’t ask.”
Jaxon blinked, glancing up from packing away the vials, his hand lingering on the case as he stared at her with a look that was almost amused. “Didn’t ask?” he repeated, like the concept was foreign to him.
“I told you I was tired,” Araya said, her voice gaining strength. She raised her eyes to his. “But you ignored me?—”
“I didn’t ignore you.” His amusement slipped, replaced by a shadow of irritation. “I explained why this is so important?—”
“That’s not enough!” Araya snapped, her voice rising even as Jaxon’s smile disappeared entirely, his expression darkening. “Youdidn’t think about what I wanted—what I needed. You justtookwhatever you wanted.”
