His laugh comes out rough before he asks, “What?”
“Nothing,” I whisper shyly, turning my head so his kiss lands on my cheek. He moves to my earlobe and nibbles, making me gasp so loud my cheek burns with shame. “Rowan—”
“Mmm,” he hums against my neck. “I love you, Freya,” he says. “If the Moon Goddess chooses now’s the time to end my life, I will go with no regrets. I’m the happiest man alive on the continent right now. I have never been happier.”
My fingers brush his cheek softly, and he smiles wider. “Don’t talk of death,” I tell him, my voice cracking. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you again.”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m not going anywhere. Unless you want me to.”
“No,” I answer without missing a beat. “Never. Stay with me.”
He kisses me again, and we both smile against each other’s lips. He sets me down then, and I almost stumble from giddiness. Licking my lips, I brush my hair back. He takes my hands and presses kisses on my palms over the half-moon scars. “I have always been yours,” he reminds me.
I nod, feeling a lump form in my throat at the admission. I turn away, then hate myself for it. But the moment has passed. We’re surrounded by greater, more dangerous things. And as much as I’d love to let him consume me tonight—and I know he will, given the chance—I hold back.
“Izel was behind the attack, don’t you think?” I ask instead.
I hear Rowan sigh loudly. “We found the coven,” he says quietly. “The ones who tried the shadow magic.”
“Coven?” I echo, recovering.
He nods. “They moved before we reached them. Took everything. Burned their trails. But we found a name.”
“What name?”
“Nyssa,” he says. “She was—is a blood-witch. She was believed—”
“Dead,” I complete for him, gasping. “So, sheisalive.”
Rowan’s eyes darken. “We think she was responsible for Draven’s death. But not directly.”
Nyx hums low within me,‘The bloodline circles back, always.’
SHADOWCRAFT
Izel
Somewhere deep in the keep, far from the Queen’s Wing, a single torch burns in a locked chamber. Elder Thane stands beside the window, the torchlight slashing across his silvered hair.
“You realize what your mother’s done?” he says coldly.
Izel kneels before him, trembling. “I didn’t know she was going to do it. She never told me.”
“She used her most obvious trick—shadowcraft—and now every fool in the pack will whisper her name.” His lips curl in disdain. “We’re trapped, girl. Your mother’s impatience has cost us stealth.”
Izel’s fingers dig into the floor, eyes wide with fear. “What should I do?”
“Pray she finishes what she started,” Thane says, turning away. “Because if she fails, she will burn for real this time. And so will we.”
THE WITCH’S CONFESSION
Freya
Iwake up from a nightmare in which every member of my pack is choking on silverdew.
It takes me a moment to separate the dream from reality, and as the horror settles, Kade’s words cross my mind:I haven’t—I haven’t heard him very clearly for a long time, Freya.
That’s what he’d said, talking about his wolf, Emris.
