“Who the hell—” I start, but thewords fall away.
Because he freezes, and so do I.
Whatever feral energy he came in with evaporates the instant our gazes meet. His chest heaves with a sharp inhale, like I’m the fresh air he’s spent a lifetime scouring for. His mouth opens slightly, like he wants to speak, but he’s forgotten every word he’s ever known.
And me? I’m rooted to the spot. Because somehow, and impossibly so, Iknowhim.
No, not me exactly, but something inside me does.
The presence in my mind stirs again, but she doesn’t cry out this time. She hums. A low, eager sound that vibrates through my chest like a tuning fork struck by fate. Hope. Desire. Heat. It surges through my veins in a way that makes me want to crawl out of my own skin just to feel closer to whatever this is.
Holy shit, was Iris actually telling the truth?
“You didn’t make a reservation, Cade.” Iris’s voice cuts through my life-alerting crisis like a dagger. Most noticeably, she doesn’t lower her crossbow even though she calls him by name. “I think it’s time you leave.”
Still, he pays her no attention.
“Mine.” The word is raw, claimed with reverence. His eyes never leave me.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Iris sighs, stepping between us with a quickness I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. “Rowan doesn’t understand this world yet. Give me an hour—just one damn hour to explain?—”
His roar erupts like a thunderclap, shaking the floor beneath us. “What did you do, Iris?” he snarls. “Theprophecy?—”
“You don’t think I realize that, furball?” Iris’s eyes blaze as she squares off with the hulking man like it’s just another Tuesday. “She’s my granddaughter, and I’ll protect her with everything I have left. Even from you. Prophecies and death threats be damned. Now get the hell out before you break every law we have.”
“I don’t give a damn about our laws.” His voice is pure gravel, laced with something aching. “They’ve never served me.”
“This arrow’s about toserveyou,” Iris spits back, her aim steady. “So, unless you want to be a twitching, paralyzed mess for the rest of the evening, I’d suggest you back off.”
Cade doesn’t move—he doesn’t even blink. He just stares at me, and I stare right back, completely unsure what’s holding me captive more—his glowing gaze or the heat spiraling in my gut.
There’s something between us. Something possibly terrifying.
And yet, for the first time since I woke up, I don’t want to be afraid.
Even if I still have no idea what the hell is going on or what’s real right now.
Chapter 3
CADE
The pulse hits me like a punch to the gut. Not necessarily pain, but more like a tether snapping into place. Ancient, familiar, andwrong.
I freeze mid-step, one boot sinking into the damp forest floor. All around me, the gnarled trees creak in the wind, their bare limbs clawing at the overcast sky. The scent of pine needles and wet earth hangs thick in the air. My wolf stirs beneath my skin, hackles rising, breath caught between fury and revelation.
No.
I shove the sensation down, grinding my teeth hard enough to crack molars. This isn’t real. It can’t be. I’ve felt echoes of power before—old magic, wild and hungry. But this? This is different. It coils around my spine like a curse. It breathes with the heartbeat of a storm.
And it’s coming from NightShade Manor.
I’m not sure if this is some twisted scheme or just the fates looking for a good show, but I haven’t been to this holding in years. Yet, the moment I’m within miles of it, I sense what I always hoped to be a fable.
I sense what needs to be destroyed.
A hybrid Hollowborn.
The energy licks along my skin, tempting me just as it did my father when he first read the prophecy—the Ashmark. I snarl at the memory of his blood-soaked journals and desperate eyes. I thought his death ended it. That I buried the last piece of this nightmare with his bones, but if I’m right, if the power smacking me in the face right now is what I suspect, it’s alive and well.
