Vesryn rammed into him. They tumbled toward the ground but the impact never came. Jassyn pitched forward, weightless as he plunged into nothingness.
CHAPTER 19
SERENNA
Alive?
The unspoken word crashed through Serenna’s mind, Fenn’s thoughts bleeding into hers. His shock scalded her through the bond, a blistering wave of disbelief as he stared at his sister.
Before either of them could react—or fully process Taryn’s transformation into an elven wraith—she struck like a serpent. Her hands lashed out, seizing both of them and wrenching them into a warp.
The violent pull yanked Serenna sideways, wringing her stomach inside out when the world dissolved into a spinning vortex of weightless shadows.
She stumbled as they reappeared, boots crunching on frozen ground as she gasped. Icy air knifed down her throat, vision swimming before it snapped back into focus.
Magus in white leathers surrounded them. Serenna’s heart slammed against her ribs as she searched for an ally—even an acquaintance—but there were none.
“Taryn,” Fenn snarled beside her, pivoting to face his sister. His eyes ignited. “How?”
Taryn tilted her head, her satisfied smile all fangs as she twisted a sun-colored braid around a finger. Instead of answering, she nodded in deference to someone behind them. “Here they are, Your Majesty,” she purred, presenting them as a prize.
Serenna turned as the magus peeled back like petals revealing the heart of a bloom. That lone figure in red she’d noticed before glided forward, measured steps radiating authority. Globes of illumination hovered around her, highlighting the chilling gleam in her sapphire eyes.
Not a magus—just a disturbing family reunion of her own.
Ayla.
The voice of Serenna’s half-sister chimed around the circle, a command directed at no one in particular. “A shield, so he can’t vanish.”
A burst of energy crackled around them, violet ribbons of magic unfurling. The threads webbed through the air, weaving into a crystalline prison that thrummed with power. Vibrations pulsed against Serenna’s ribs, the threat pressing down like the weight of the frozen sky.
The hood of Ayla’s cloak rippled around her face, painted lips curling into a triumphant smirk. “So,” she mused, eyes sweeping over Serenna before landing on the volcano behind them. “Our new friends were right. Thisiswhere you disappeared to.” She stepped closer, her gaze sharper than the icy wind. “Our sire scoured campus for you, you know. But he assumed you’d run off, cavorting with our exiled prince.” Savage delight deepened her grin. “I cannotwaitto be the one to return you.”
Serenna’s nails bit into her palms, the sting a tenuous anchor. She couldn’t let Ayla drag her back to Centarya—not with what she knew of Lykor’s plans. The reavers might’ve been oblivious, but the king’s coercion would tear the truth from her, crushing their rebellion before it began.
Caged by the ring of magus, summoning any power would be inviting a storm—a reckless act of defiance that would only provoke retribution. But escape wasn’t just necessary—it was the only option. Lykor had made it brutally clear that he wouldn’t rescue them if they failed to return.
Desperation clawed at Serenna as she yanked on the bond with Vesryn, her thoughts frantic.Where are you?
Fenn bared his fangs at his sister. “What twisted bargain did you strike with the elves?”
Ayla answered before Taryn could, a tinkling laugh spilling from her lips. “An unusual opportunity presented itself—one that you might say fell directly at the king’s feet.”
Ayla’s calculating gaze raked over them, lingering long enough to feel invasive. “After my sire’s legion subdued these reavers, the king devised an inventive use for those who surrendered—an alliance.” She gestured to Taryn. “The king does have a way of turning the tides to his favor.”
Ayla’s icy eyes snapped back to Fenn. “We’re here for your leader. This ‘Lykor,’ or whatever Prince Aesar is calling himself these days.”
Serenna folded her arms, steadying her trembling hands. “We?You mean humans andhalf-breedsled by a recruit? That hardly sounds like a group sent to handle a mission so critical.”
Ayla’s mask of composure cracked, indignation brimming as she drew herself up. “Iwas entrusted with the importance of this,” she hissed, adjusting her cowl. “Andunlikeyou, I don’t disappoint.”
Serenna ignored Ayla’s self-importance and pressed on. “Have you not questioned how the wraith came to be? How those with you have power now?”
Taryn had obviously been given stolen talents. Of course Ayla knew. And if she’d been unaware a few weeks ago, she surely knew now—perhaps even played a part.
“The king has been meticulous, exclusively extracting power from half-breeds this past century.” Ayla sneered and waved dismissively. “Pure-bloods are far too valuable for such crude harvesting now that he has a source.”
Serenna clenched her teeth and swallowed the retort that human blood alsotaintedher sister’s veins. The truth didn’t matter to someone like her, drenched in arrogance, privilege, and denial.
