He looks ordinary.
Tall, dark-haired, dressed in a long coat and worn boots, like he’s walked a long way to get here. His face is open, pleasant, and his smile warm in a way that should be reassuring.
It isn’t.
The air around him hums—not with power flaring outward, but curbed. Like everything he is has been folded neatly inward.
“Jacob,” Iris says brightly. “You made it.”
He inclines his head to her, polite to the point of reverent. “I wouldn’t miss your invitation.”
Oh, Iris. What have you done?
“Is that—” Cade starts to ask, but I cut him off.
“Why are you here?” I demand, my voice sharp enough to slice through the moment.
His attention shifts to me, and when his eyes meet mine, there’s only satisfaction. Like he’s been waiting for this exact moment.
He smiles wider.
“Because I was invited.”
He gestures gently toward Iris, who has stepped aside to usher him in, completely unaware that everyone else in the room has gone still.
“Jacob?” Iris repeats, frowning faintly as she studies his face. “You look…different.”
“No, Iris,” I say quietly, my pulse roaring in my ears. “That’s not Jacob.”
She turns to me, confusion deepening. “Well, yes, it is. He… he stayed here and…”
I don’t take my eyes off him.
“No, Iris,” I repeat. “That’sMalrik.”
The name lands like a dropped bomb.
The warmth drains from the room. The lights flicker violently, bending away from him, as if instinctively recoiling. The air thickens, pressing against my skin.
The manor knows, and so do I.
Malrik sighs—actually sighs—as if disappointed.
“You do know how to ruin my fun, Rowan,” he says mildly.
Several things happen at once, but then not at all.
Cade and Marius both make moves, yet neither of them makes it further than a couple of steps.
A roar fills the room.
“Let me go and see who wins in a fair fight,” Cade snarls, fighting against an invisible hold.
Malrik clicks his tongue. “Why fight fair when power is so much more entertaining?” He reaches out and presses two fingers to Iris’s forehead. “I’m done with you.”
“No!” I shout, despair crashing through me all at once.
But Iris doesn’t collapse.
