Slade goes rigid.
Draven swears. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The scroll continues… “But Veda refused the binding. She severed the accord and sought another path to power—one unnamed, oneforbidden. She vanished before judgment could fall.”
I grip the ring harder. “Soshe ran?”
“Yes and no,” Slade says, voice low. “She chose something. Something dangerous enough to threaten both our lines.”
Draven nods grimly. “And whatever that choice was… it’s what you woke up at dinner.”
I shake my head. “But why me? Why now?”
Slade glances at me, eyes burning a deeper green than I’ve ever seen. “Because you’re the first Bellamy born with the right magic. Strength. The right resonance even.” His fingers brush the ring. “You’re the one Veda’s unfinished work recognizes.”
Cold trickles down my spine. “So Veda reallydidcreate the curse,” I whisper.
Slade doesn’t deny it.
Draven whistles. “Well. This is a nightmare.”
But Slade’s gaze never leaves mine. “It doesn’t change anything,” he murmurs. “You’re not her. And I won’t let anyone—past or present—claim you.”
My pulse stutters, as the ring pulses. Somewhere deep in the archives, a book slams shut on its own.
Draven clears his throat. “We should leave before the archives start answering her presence. They have a tendency to… animate.”
Slade takes the ring from my trembling hand, tucks it into his jacket, and gently pulls me toward the exit. The corridors feel tighter on the way out. The ring calls to me from Slade’s pocket. And I can’t shake the truth crawling under my skin…
Veda didn’t disappear. She left a trail.
And it’s leading straight to me.
Chapter 18
Slade
The moment we step out of the archives, the air changes. Not the realm—her. Piper’s magic hums under her skin, bright and trembling, like a tether pulled too tight. The bond claws at me, stretching between us in a low, electric current I feel deep in my bones.
She stumbles, falling into my arms. And the bond nearly snaps into place.
Her breath brushes my cheek. Her body fits against mine as though molded for me. Her pulse is a frantic, beautiful rhythm calling to every ancient instinct I possess. I lower my head—her eyes flutter, her lips part…
And then—Draven groans loudly behind us. “For the love of hellfire, get a room.”
Piper jerks back like she’s been splashed with cold water.
I turn slowly,veryslowly, eyes blazing with pure fury. The spineless little—
Draven holds his hands up. “What? I didn’t realize this was Three Seconds Till Destined Mating Time.”
I step toward him.
He steps back. “Slade—”
“You interrupted us.” My voice drops into something rough and primal. “You interruptedher.”
“Ohplease,” he scoffs, “you’ll have centuries to—”
