Liz lifts a brow. “Going somewhere, Cade?”
Elias’s voice is steadier. “Stephanie and the others areprepared to take watch over NightShade and guard the borders. You’re not going out there alone.”
I glance between them, my wolf snarling under my skin. “I’ll be fine.”
Liz’s grin sharpens. “Try and stop us.”
“I don’t have time for this.” I push past them. “I won’t stop you, but I’m not waiting for you either.”
“Right behind you, Alpha,” Elias says, locked on my heels.
The doors swing fully open, letting in the bite of the morning air and the scent of death from the night before lingering on the wind.
Let’s do this. I call my wolf forward, and then we run.
I’m coming for you, Rowan.
Chapter 5
ROWAN
Sleep isn’t supposed to come easy after learning you can suck the magic out of supernatural beings and turn them human. But apparently, my brain decided existential crises could wait until morning.
I wake tangled in sheets softer than anything that has ever touched my skin, the faint scent of cedar and frost curling in the air. For a moment, I almost forget where I am, then the memories slide back in.
Dinner. Malrik. His words.
You unmake magic.
I can turn the supernatural human.
My stomach flips. I press my palms to my eyes and groan.
I swing my legs out of bed, the cool floor biting against my bare feet. Everything in this room feels too pristine, too intentional. The faint silver veins that pulse along the black stone walls are slower this morning, almost sleepy, like the whole place breathes with me.
“Good morning, co-kidnapper,” I mutter, my voicerough. “Wish I could say I’m happy to see you, but you’d probably know that’s a lie, so why bother?”
No answer.
When I glance around, something new catches my eye. Yesterday, the left section of the room was just stone. Now, there’s a wardrobe—mirrored and gleaming, etched with faint swirling patterns that move if I stare too long.
“Of course,” I say, dragging myself toward it. “The house redecorates. Great.”
Back on the right side, next to the partition, there’s even a shower waiting for me with frosted glass. “Cute. You’re trying to make me think I still have privacy in this creepy castle.”
After a warm wash and rinse, I investigate my clothing options. The handles on the wardrobe are cold under my fingers, but the doors open without resistance. Inside aredozensof outfits. Gowns in black, gray, and forest green. Leggings and shirts, soft as newborn skin. The sight hits me like a slap ofunreality. These are mine. Custom-made for a person who doesn’t even know what she is anymore.
And then there’s the vanity that has definitely grown from last night. There’s more of everything. Brushes. Makeup. Perfumes. All of it neatly arranged. It’s domestic in a way that makes me shudder.
“Ugh,” I whisper with an eye roll. “He’s trying to turn me into a kept woman.”
Still, I can’t help running my fingers over the smooth metal of the table. Every object seems to be in tune with my pulse. It’s almost beautiful, but absolutely wrong.
My reflection in the mirror looks back at me, eyes shadowed and mouth tight. But what catches my attentionmost is the kaleidoscope of colors looking back at me. Cade had mentioned something about my eyes changing colors after I shifted the first time, and I’d seen hints of what he’d meant in the following days, but nothing like this.
This is almost too freaky.
Who is this woman looking back at me?
