“My daughter’s memory is almost photographic.” Pride colors my mother’s voice. I don’t say anything. If I’d had my own way, I wouldn’t have spent my entire childhood consuming information.
From across the table, I feel Luke’s eyes on me. When I finally allow myself to glance up, the intensity in his dark gaze makes my breath catch. Pride and something deeper flash across his features before his expression shutters back to professional detachment. Heat blooms in my chest and spreads lower, an unwelcome reminder of what happened between us.
Nadia Frost leans forward. Her pale green eyes, sharp as cut glass, study me with renewed interest.
“Tell us what you found,” she says.
I pull out the notebook I’ve made extensive notes in since my return, determined not to let a single detail slip from my memory.
“They’re planning another ritual,” I tell them. “It’ll be seventy-two hours from now.”
“You’re certain of this?” asks Viktor.
I nod. “I overheard one of their meetings. They said that they have an artifact in place that will be part of the proceedings.”
Caleb’s nostrils flare. “Can only be the Shard,” he mutters. Beside him, Elena nods in response. Her face is drawn, eyes puffy. She took the news of Mara’s loss harder than anyone. Yet again, I feel guilt surge. If Luke hadn’t saved me, she might still be here.
That’s not true. We’d all be dead.
“I also saw maps with ritual diagrams and a list of locations with suspected hybrid residents. Dozens of them,” I go on, clearing my throat when my voice breaks slightly. “I took photos, that I’ll share after this meeting.”
Dorian and Juno exchange worried glances. Luke’s face remains impassive, but I can see his fingers flex where his hands rest on the table. The urge to reach across and cover his hand with mine is almost overwhelming.
Nadia breaks the silence. “How current is this list?”
“Updated within the last forty-eight hours based on timestamps I saw.”
Her expression darkens. “Then they’re already moving on some of these targets.”
Beside me, I can practically feel my mother’s concern ramp up. As the Shadowhand, she’d been privy to these plans while insidethe Syndicate, but I can tell from the subtle shift in her posture that she’d hoped for more time.
“I still have contacts within the Syndicate,” she says. “I’ll reach out and see what I can learn.”
Viktor nods, then turns his attention back to the recordings. “What’s their objective? Control or elimination?”
“Both,” I say, trying to keep my voice from shaking as I remember the cold efficiency in their plans. “They want to harness the Sleeping King’s power to control dragonkind and wipe out what they call impure bloodlines.”
Caleb rubs his temples. “If they already have the Shard, this poses a very real threat.”
Luke speaks for the first time since we entered the room. His voice slides over me like warm smoke, triggering memories of whispered words against my skin. I press my lips together, praying I don’t give myself away.
“The power in those mountains isn’t stable. It’s waking.” His voice is measured, professional; the complete opposite of how he spoke to me when we were alone. “Whatever the Syndicate thinks they can control, they’re wrong.”
“You felt it? The power?” Dorian asks.
“We both did.” Luke’s eyes find mine again, and for a moment, the room fades away. The connection between us crackles with something beyond physical attraction, something that frightens me with its intensity. “It’s dragon essence—ancient, primal. And it’s aware.”
My father shifts beside me. “Our rescue team felt it too. When we went in to find Ember and Luke, we couldn’t use our powers to help locate them. No magic, no shifting. Something was interfering.”
Elena looks up, her grief for her friend written plainly across her face. “So it’s malevolent? This thing that killed Mara?”
“I don’t think it was responsible for her death,” I say quickly. “That was an accident.”
“But it’s the reason your helicopter went down,” Elena counters.
I hesitate, remembering the strange connection I felt in the mountains.
“We don’t know for certain. But if it was, I don’t think it was intentional. It wanted to help us.”
