And then?—
“Oh for the love of—how many times do we have to hear this story?Twice is enough.We get it, Rezer’s crushing on my mom, Rezer’s a badass shadow elf who saved an entire race, but plot twist, they got trapped in a Chamber that became a psychopath, power hungry vacuum.And said Chamber has now drawn us all here like good little pets to set the shadow elves free and suck our souls dry.Meanwhile, Cassie and I are glued to the damn forest floor and need to pee.So, whose problem is worse?”
Syndra sucked in a sharp breath.She turned, scanning the clearing instinctively, already knowing she wouldn’t see anyone.But now that she’d heard the voice, she couldfeeltheir presence, and the magic that was unique to both of them.Cassie and Elora.
“Being held hostage by a Chamber, apparently made invisible to everyone,” the voice of Elora continued, irritated.“Zero stars.Do not recommend.Especially since, not to beat a dead horse, we have to freaking pee.”
Lisa gasped.“Elora!Is Cassie with you?”
“Yes, since I don’t talk about myself in the plural and the only person I’m ever with is Cassie,” Elora said dryly.“Hi, Mom.You sound stressed.Also, congrats on the new beau, hope he's not a douche.I’m feeling stabby.”
Syndra barked a short, startled laugh before she could stop herself.“If you’re still that mouthy, you can’t be too bad off.Balance remains intact.”
“I don’t ever want to hear anymore discussion about balance, Syndra,” Elora growled.“For all I care, balance can suck it.”
“I’m with her,” Cassie’s voice came from the space around them.“Light, dark, shadows, whatever.Everything sucks, I have to pee, I’m tired, pregnant, and the father of my child doesn’t even know it yet.”
For a heartbeat, the clearing froze.Even the Chamber seemed to hold its breath.
Lisa blinked.“Excuse me—did you saypregnant?”
Elora made a strangled noise.“Oh, fantastic, she’s crying again.Great job, everyone, emotional landmine fully detonated.”
Lisa’s hand flew to her mouth.“Cassie ...”
But before Lisa could say more, the air changed.The ground didn’t so much tremble asrecoil.The forest itself shuddered—branches bending backward, moss shriveling, every shadow pulling tight, like the entire world remembered it had reason to be afraid.
Then came the sound, low, ancient,furious.
Power funneled into the clearing, dragging the light out of everything it touched.Syndra’s lungs seized from the pressure.Tamsin’s hand went to his weapon out of instinct; Oakley threw an arm in front of Lisa without thinking.
The glow from the Chamber flared blinding white, split down the center?—
and through that tear stepped a silhouette ink-dark and incandescent all at once.
Triktapic.And beside him, Cush.
Syndra had seen Trik in battle before, calculated, lethal, the elegance of an assassin shaped by centuries of discipline.This wasdifferent.This was the raw, unfocused power of a mate whose bond had just screamed in distress.
The shadows crawled around his boots, hissing like living things.His voice rolled out low and lethal, the kind of sound that bypassed the ear and went straight to the nerve endings.
“Idoknow about the child.”The words hit with the force of a tsunami.
He stepped fully into view, tall, eyes glowing like molten steel under moonlight.The temperature in the clearing plummeted as his power unfurled, sucking the oxygen out of the air.
Cush followed, steady, hand hovering near his daggers, wise enough not to interfere, but every inch of him screamedready.
Trik’s gaze swept the clearing in one devastating arc, Lisa, Rezer, Syndra, Tamsin, Oakley, and stopped on the spot that he must havefeltthe invisible presence of Cassie.Fury and relief warred in the lines of his jaw.
“And now,” he said, voice flat with terrible promise, “someone will answer for this.”
The Chamber’s light stuttered, almost like a heartbeat missing a beat.Even it seemed reluctant to be the first to move.
Syndra swallowed hard, the rush of his power scraping the back of her throat.For once, she had nothing clever left to say.
Trik’s energy flicked toward the hidden space that held Cassie and Elora; the shimmer there bent, forming their faint outlines.Cassie’s head lifted toward the sound of him, the raw, broken joy in her voice enough to crack every hardened heart in the clearing.
“Trik ...”
