Rough hands grabbed my arms, and I moved without thinking. Twisting, I clutched my attacker’s arm and drove my dagger into the joint. Blood erupted from the site, and he cried out as his sword clattered to the floor. Pulling my knife free, I plunged it into his gut, slashing upward. He sucked in a sharp breath, staggered back, and collided with the marble, dead.
The sound of my ragged breathing echoed around me as my gaze fell to Ryker once more. He groaned, his hand clutching his throat as he pushed himself to his knees, and then to his feet. The second our eyes met, relief crashed over me so hard it stole my breath. He gave me a curt nod, and I returned the gesture before shifting my gaze to Riordan.
My father raised his hands to his face, and Riordan shrieked again, this time in agony. I pulled my magic around me, frantically searching for the thread that belonged to Ryker, but I couldn’t find it.
“Come on, come on.”
Another scream reached my ears, and I closed my eyes, releasing a controlled breath. I followed the pull of my magic, letting it silence the noise and turmoil surrounding me.
Then I found it.
The connection pulled tight, dark and burning as I seized it. I pushed everything I had into the magical tether until I could no longer tell where Ryker’s power began, and mine ended.
They flowed in perfect harmony, my light with his darkness, just as fate intended.
Shadows snaked along my arms, glittering with tiny golden flecks as they danced and writhed across my skin. My limbstrembled, and I clenched my teeth, fighting to stay steady beneath the crushing weight of the power I wielded.
With one shaky exhale, I let go.
Inky, golden tendrils tore across the room, lashing at the men holding Riordan. Their fingers warped, forcing them to release him as they fought against the magic seeping under their flesh.
Bones popped against gaunt, shriveled skin, and their lips were pulled into a tight line. Limbs contorted, and their bodies crashed to the floor as my magic drained every ounce of life from them.
When it was over, silence swallowed the chamber, both sides staring in stunned disbelief at the aftermath of what I had unleashed.
My gaze locked with my father’s, and he stared back at me, studying me with renewed interest.
But he knew better than to believe he could ever control me. “Kill her.”
The Wraith Borne moved as one.
My magic snapped forward, ripping through the hall as the screams of the enemy filled my ears. Sweat and blood clung to me, and exhaustion pulled at my senses, but I didn’t stop.
The Wraith Borne withered to nothing, their bodies crumbling like dust the moment they met the unforgiving marble lining the floor.
My gaze returned to my father. Even as his body betrayed him — his limbs twisting and writhing as my magic devoured him — he smiled.
Not cruel, or victorious, but pride.
He’d turned me into a monster, and he was proud.
In his final moments, he was content, and I’d never hated him more.
Chapter Seventy
Cadence
“Cadence!”
The sound of my brother’s voice yanked me out of my thoughts. Callum was cradling Riordan’s head in his lap while the latter convulsed on the floor. My body moved before mymind could catch up, and I fell to my knees the moment I reached them.
The washed-out color of Riordan’s skin made my breath hitch, and I caught his face in my hands, letting my magic sweep over him before diving deeper to assess his injuries.
A shocked gasp slipped between my lips.
“What? What is it?” Callum asked, his voice quivering.
An enormous shadow fell over us, and I didn’t need to look to know who it belonged to. His presence was all-consuming, swallowing the air around us as he drew near.
