Her vision shimmered, and suddenly the chamber dimmed, the air flooding with silver light.She knew that light—it was the Moon Goddess, manifest in the quiet of her mind.The others remained frozen, unaware.
“You know what it asks of you,”the Goddess’s voice whispered, gentle as moonlight yet heavy as the tide.
Saffron’s throat closed, but she forced the words out in thought.“Blood of a High Priestess.”Her chest ached as she added,“My blood.”
“Yes,”the Goddess breathed.“Given at the right time, under the right sky, and only then will the Stone awaken.Only then will the curse be broken.”
Her eyes burned.“If I give it what it needs ...will it kill me?”Her silent question was raw, torn from the depths of her heart.
The silver light pulsed, sorrow threading the Goddess’s tone.“Yes, child.The Stone demands sacrifice.It was forged in blood and it will be fed by blood.Yours will end the chains that bind your people.Yours will silence the Council forever.”
Tears blurred her vision.Her fingers curled above the jagged surface, her heart rebelling.“They just found me again.Isaac and Nolan ...my family.Must I lose them?”
“You must weigh your love against the fate of all shifters,”the Goddess murmured.“It is not fair, but destiny never is.Yet even in endings, there can be rebirth.The circle unbroken.”
Saffron’s chest constricted, but she nodded within herself, silently making the vow.Once again, she would pay the ultimate price to protect shifters everywhere.Blood of a High Priestess, given at the right time.Only then would it answer.Only then would it end the curse for good.
Her vision cleared, the silver light fading.She straightened, voice steady though her insides shook.“We’ve found it.But it’s not ready to be used.Not yet.”
Her mates frowned, questions sparking in their eyes, but she pressed her hand to the coffin’s cold edge, feeling the weight of destiny coil around her like chains.
The Stone was theirs.But it demanded a price.
****
Shopping trips weresupposed to be mindless.A chance to clear her head, maybe grab some new boots, maybe even splurge on that ridiculously overpriced perfume she liked to sniff but never buy.Instead, Brielle found herself wandering through the racks of a downtown boutique, fiddling with a scarf and trying not to think about the catacombs or the Stone.Her ribs still ached from laughing at Nolan and Isaac earlier, but her smile had dimmed since.
The air smelled of leather and wool, the faint buzz of pop music humming low over the speakers.People milled about, lost in their own worlds.Normal.Mundane.She almost believed she could pretend she was normal, too.
Until she heard his voice.
“Well, well.Look who finally crawled out of hiding.”
Her stomach plummeted.That voice was carved into her nightmares.She turned slowly, the scarf slipping from her hands.There he was—Caleb Aldridge.Tall, lean, handsome in that smug, cruel way she used to mistake for charm.Her first mistake.Her worst mistake.And the reason she swore she was better off being single forever.
“Caleb,” she said flatly.Her pulse kicked hard.“I thought I made it clear we were done.”
His smile was all teeth.“You walked away, Brie.Doesn’t mean I agreed, and I sure as shit did not let you go.”
Her skin crawled.She stepped back, but he followed, his cologne choking her like smoke.“You need to leave,” she warned.Her fingers itched with magic, the sparks already prickling under her skin.
He leaned close, eyes glinting.“You think you can scare me with your parlor tricks?”
She lifted her hand, purple sparks flaring to life between her fingers.“Try me.”
For one glorious second, power surged and she thought she had the upper hand.Until he laughed—and raised his own hand.Blue-white light crackled across his palm.
Her blood ran cold.“You—”
“Did you really think you were the only one with tricks?”he sneered, then struck.
Pain exploded across her side as magic slammed into her.She hit the wall hard, the boutique shaking with the impact.Customers screamed, scattering, clothes racks crashing as people fled.She tried to push up, gasping, but his boot caught her ribs.Agony flared.
“Pathetic,” Caleb snarled, kicking again.“All that attitude, and you’re nothing without someone to save you.”
Her vision blurred.Anger surged hotter than the pain.She forced herself upright, throwing another bolt of violet fire.It clipped his shoulder, the smell of singed fabric filling the air.
“You bitch,” he roared, backhanding her across the face.The world spun.Blood filled her mouth, warm and coppery.
