Celise laughed mockingly. “First off, those weren’tmygroup of supernaturals. As you can see, I don’t need them. And, secondly, fill the void? Oh, no, Dorian. I’m notfillinganything. I’m creating something entirely new, something far beyond what Cain ever dreamed of.”
Dorian’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. “You talk a big game, sprite. But power doesn’t come from words. It comes from blood, strength, and dominance. And as far as I can see, you’re just a little girl playing with forces you don’t understand.”
The tension in the air was palpable, the weight of the encounter pressing down on everyone present. Celise’s sisters exchanged wary glances, but Celise remained calm, her smile never wavering.
“Careful, hybrid. Whatever strength you think your dual nature gives you won’t be enough. You’re treading on thin ice.”
Dorian smirked. “And what are you going to do about it, little sprite? Show me your power. Prove to me—and all these other supernaturals hiding in the trees—that you’re worth following.”
Celise’s smile vanished, as she felt cold fury fill her. She closed theNushtoniawith a sharp snap and stepped forward, her movements deliberate and unhurried. The ground beneath her feet seemed to pulse with her growing power. The shadows around her twisted and writhed like living things.
“You want a demonstration?” Her voice carried an edge that would no doubt send shivers down the spines of everyone listening. “Very well.”
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a torrent of dark magic. The air crackled with its energy. The shadows coiled around her like serpents, hissing and striking as she directed them toward Dorian. He barely had time to react before the tendrils of darkness wrapped around him, binding him in place.
Dorian snarled, his hybrid strength allowing him to break free of one of the shadowy tendrils. He lunged at Celise, his claws extended and his fangs glinting in the dim light. But Celise was faster. With a whispered incantation, she summoned a wall of fire that erupted between them, forcing him to stumble back.
The flames didn’t burn like ordinary fire. They clung to Dorian’s skin, eating away at his flesh with an unnatural, agonizing slowness. His screams echoed through the forest—a chilling sound that she knew would silence even the most seasoned supernaturals watching from the shadows.
Celise stepped closer, her gaze cold and unfeeling as she watched him writhe in pain. With a wave of her hand, the flames disappeared, leaving Dorian kneeling on the ground, his body smoking, skin melted, and his breaths ragged. He would heal, but now he knew.
“Do you understandnow? I am not Cain. I am not Alston, Desdemona, Sincaro, Volcan or any other leader of the dark that you have seen. I am not bound by the limitations of the past. I am something entirely new. And if you—or anyone else—dares to challenge me again, you’ll suffer a fate far worse than this.”
Dorian raised his head, his crimson eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and fear. He didn’t speak, but the message was clear. He wouldn’t challenge her again.
From the shadows, a group of fae stepped forward, their faces pale and their expressions wary. To their right, another group emerged: four djinn warriors. They looked much less nervous than the fae. For these supernaturals to be here, seeking her out, they had either been loyal to the Order at one time or justnotaligned with the leaders of their races. Celise would need to ensure their loyalty, especially for the latter. If anyone might be able to stand against her, it would be the djinn.
Celise turned her attention to both groups, her smile returning. “Tell me… Do you have any memory of the Realm of the Dead?”
One of the djinn narrowed his black eyes on her before nodding. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I’ve knowledge of it.” He paused and seemed to consider her, as if trying to determine if she was worthy of the information he had. He glanced at the warriors beside him. One shrugged dismissively, and the other two simply returned his gaze. The djinn looked back at her, apparently deciding he would share with her. “As I’m sure you know, our race is the one who locked the realm and its ruler inside.”
Celise’s smile widened, and she was filled with dark delight. She had known that, but it was always good to have things confirmed without looking incompetent. “Good. Then you’ll, no doubt, be able to help me open it.”
The djinn slowly shifted his head in a very animalistic move. A small smirk tilted one side of his lips. “You have to be able to find the veil to it first. And that is something onlymypeople know how to do.”
“Why do I have a feeling you’re not just going to offer up your services?” Celise asked as she clutched the powerful book in her hands. There was a little ball of trepidation growing in her gut, though she refused to acknowledge it. The book's power would not fail her. She’d shed her own blood, and sacrificed many lives already, to help it regain its dark power. It would be loyal to her.
Shade stared at the sprite who believed that she had somehow become indestructible because of the power given to her by the Book of the Dead.Foolish female. He would teach her the error of her ways. “You may have bested a hybrid, butNushtoniaor not, you are no match for the djinn. There is a reason we have refrained from interfering in wars between supernaturals.”
Shade heard the rustling of movement as he stood at the edge of the clearing, his black eyes surveying the gathering of supernaturals emerging from the forest. Demons with twisted forms and glowing eyes slithered from the shadows, their movements predatory and deliberate. Fae with their inhuman beauty, shimmering hair, and cold, untrusting gazes. Vampires stepped forward, their faces pale but their presence commanding. Hybrids, warlocks, elves, pixies, trolls, and even creatures long thought extinct, lurked at the edges of the crowd. They had all come out of hiding, no doubt drawn by the promise of power, by the opportunity to claim the world beyond their own realms because of the lack of magic.
Shade’s gaze lingered on the trolls with their hulking forms, the pixies who varied in size and appearance—some with wings, some without— the hybrids who bore recent wounds. Many of them had been scattered, broken, and forgotten, but now they were here, searching for a leader—a true leader. And Shade knew this was no coincidence. They didn’t just want power; they wanted someone who could wield it with certainty. Someone who could give them purpose. For too long, the high fae and wolves had kept supernaturals under their clutches. Their time was over.
Celise stood in the center of it all, clutching theNushtoniaas though it were her lifeline. Her dark eyes flickered with satisfaction, a cruel smile curving her lips as if she had already won. Shade knew better. She had drawn this crowd with promises of vengeance and destruction, but promises alone would not hold them. Power, not words, bound the loyalty of supernaturals.
Shade stepped forward, his presence commanding immediate attention. The crowd hushed, the murmurs of the gathered creatures fading as all eyes turned to him. Even the demons that she’d managed to release with theNushtoniastilled, their glowing eyes focused on the djinn warrior who moved with the lethal grace of a predator. Because that’s exactly what he was: a predator no longer bound by the laws of the supernatural police. The fae present were obviously not in league with the supposed fearless leader, Perizada, who was M.I.A.
“You’ve drawn quite the crowd, Celise.” Shade knew his voice was edged with a quiet authority. “Demons, fae, vampires, the newly added hybrids, and even the forgotten creatures of this world. They’ve come for you—or so they think. But we both know they’re looking for more than empty promises. They’re looking for someone worthy to lead them.”
Celise’s smile faltered, her knuckles whitening as she tightened her grip on theNushtonia.“And you think that’s you?” Her voice was sharp, though there was a flicker of unease in her tone. “You think you can waltz in here and take what’s mine?”
Shade’s smirk widened. “No, Celise. I don’t ‘think’ anything. Iknow. And I definitely don’t waltz.” His gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on the faces of the gathered supernaturals. “They’re not looking for words. They’re looking for action, for power. Strength. And they’ll follow the one who can show them they deserve it.”
Celise glared at him, her dark magic flaring around her as the ground beneath her feet cracked and splintered. “You underestimate what I’ve done to earn this power,” she hissed. “TheNushtoniais mine. It chose me. I’ve sacrificed more than you could ever comprehend.”
Shade tilted his head, his black eyes gleaming with amusement. “You’ve sacrificed, yes. But you’ve also disbanded supernaturals. Tell me, Celise—what’s this I hear about Fane’s pack? The rumors say you’ve scattered them across the realms. Is it true?”
Celise’s lips curled into a cruel smile, though her eyes betrayed the satisfaction she felt at his question. “Oh, it’s true.” Her tone dripped with malice. “I made sure to split up the mated pairs. Wolves are so much weaker when they’re separated from their mates. But it wasn’t just the wolves, also those loyal to Fane: the fae, djinn, and warlocks. They, too, have been separated from their mates, thrown to realms where they will die. They’ll never find their way back to each other. Not with the veils sealed up tight.”
