Chapter Twelve
The dawn broke redover New York, staining the skyline in fire.Saffron stood on the rooftop terrace of their building, every muscle in her body taut.They had chosen to meet the fight here in the open air, to keep the battle away from the heart of Fated Ink and force whatever came to face them under the wide sky.The wards around the building vibrated, threads of gold and silver woven tight, but she felt the tremor ripple through them thirty minutes ago.The first crack.The first sign the Council had found its opening.She had called to the others and they were already in place on the roof, their circle braced against the inevitable assault.
Her breath caught.“They’re coming in,” she whispered.
The words had barely left her mouth when the wards shuddered and split.Power tore down the barriers in a roar that rattled the windows below.Across the street, shadows uncoiled from the alleys, demonic shapes twisting and clawing toward the building.The air filled with a stench of sulfur and decay.
“Positions!”Ursula barked, already summoning flame into her palms.Willow flanked her, light sparking bright around her body.Isaac and Nolan shifted just enough that their wolves hovered close, snarls rumbling in their throats.Jacob steadied himself beside them, his gaze locked on the horde.
Only Liam and Brielle were absent—Brielle still recovering and Liam doing his shift to protect her.The circle was thinner without them, but they had no choice.
The first wave hit.Demonic forms clambered up the walls and leapt onto the rooftop terrace, black claws tearing through the wards.Saffron thrust her hands outward, golden fire lashing across the open space as the creatures poured in.Their shrieks split the air as they burned, but more pressed forward.Too many.
The rooftop gave them space, but it also gave the enemy an opening.From every corner of the city, the shapes converged, climbing, leaping, wings tearing against the wind.Above them, the sky bled red and gold, dawn rising fast.
On the far side of the terrace, Adrian Veynar appeared.He strode through the smoke, immaculate even amid chaos, his eyes black fire.His laughter cut across the battle.“You thought you could resist me with parlor wards?Today ends you, little High Priestess.”
“Not while I breathe,” Saffron snarled.She lifted the Druid Stone high.Power crackled along its surface, jagged and alive.
The Stone flared—then recoiled.It burned against her palm, refusing her touch.She gasped, clutching it tighter, trying to force the bond.“Damn you,” she whispered.
Nolan and Isaac fought shoulder to shoulder, bodies bloodied, muscles trembling from the effort of holding the line.The coven’s circle flickered weakly at first, each witch straining to hold back the tide of demons.Then the stairwell door banged open—Brielle staggered onto the rooftop, her face bruised but her eyes alight with fury.Liam followed, his wolf already half-shifted, a snarl ripping free as he leapt into the fray.The circle snapped stronger the instant they joined, light blazing, wards biting deeper into the creatures.For a few desperate minutes the tide turned, demons cut down faster than they could rise.
From the shadows beyond, Caleb Blackmore stepped onto the rooftop, his smirk cutting through the chaos.“Well, well.My Brielle.I always knew you’d come running back.I’m going to enjoy taming my bitch one more time.”His voice dripped malice, each word meant to brand her as his possession.
Brielle straightened despite the bruises mottling her face, purple fire sparking across her palms.“Newsflash, Caleb—hell will freeze before I’m ever yours again.”With a snap of her wrist, she hurled a violet bolt at him.Flames crackled against the rooftop, forcing him back with a snarl.
Adrian roared, his voice shaking the stones beneath their feet, and he drew deeper from the Council’s dark well.More shapes poured onto the rooftop, wings and claws blotting out the dawn.The circle buckled, and Saffron felt the weight of choice press on her chest.
She stepped out of the ring, her golden wards flaring up around her.Her mates’ voices rose in panic calling her name, but she turned to them, her eyes shining with tears and determination.
Something inside her broke.She saw the exhaustion in their faces, the devotion in their stares.She knew.She had always known.
“I love you,” she said, voice fierce and clear over the chaos.
Isaac staggered at the words, Nolan’s blade paused mid-swing.“Saff—”
She didn’t let them finish.With one swift motion, she drew her blade across her left wrist.Blood welled hot and red.She lifted it above the Stone, letting it stream across its jagged surface.
A golden shield erupted around her, locking her in.Isaac and Nolan slammed against it, shouting, but they could not break through.Ursula’s scream echoed as she hurled flame at the barrier, but nothing penetrated.
Adrian’s face twisted.“No!”He launched himself at her, his body shifting, monstrous horns and claws ripping through the fine suit.His skin turned gray and black, demonic veins glowing.He pounded against the shield, snarling.“You cannot stop me!”
Saffron held the Stone high, blood soaking its surface.She chanted, her voice ringing with power.
“By my blood, I break the curse.
By my will, no dark converse.
Chains unbound, the night dispersed.
Light shall rise where shadows nurse.”
Saffron felt a wave of nausea roll through her as she watched the blood pumping through her wrist.
“By my life, I end its hold.
By my heart, let truth unfold.
