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My mother’s eyes narrowed, and her jaw went tight. Then she disappeared. Under the veil of power, she fled.

Yet, I could see the faint echo of her form. I could watch her walk the void, follow her progress, and plan my attack.

My satisfaction was short-lived when I realized she aimed for Grace.

With a shout, “Grace!” I turned on my heel and launched back, toward my mate who had just drawn her blade from Burk’s chest and was rising from her crouch just as that shadow of my mother coalesced next to her… with a shining steel blade in her hand.

No More Fear

~ GRACE ~

The clearing was chaos. Screams from the fleeing Cruors. Flashes of light from the flames of the dragons overhead. Koa’s shrieks of rage. Kham’s roars.

I hadn’t even had to think. When Voski screamed at me that it was time, I rose, pulling the blade, and sending it flying at the first target I saw.

It was only in the aftermath that I realized it was the king’s chest.

Conflicting emotions tore through me as surely as that blade tore through his flesh.

Triumph at the horror and fear on his face.

Terror at the knowledge we were fighting for our lives while the dragons battled for us in the skies above.

Everything happened too fast. With shaking hands, I remembered my training and reached down to yank the blade out of the king’s chest, while he lay like a helpless child, head bent up to stare at himself, hands pawing feebly at the hilt of the knife.

When I pulled it out, his eyes went wide and his body twitched.

Our eyes locked for a split second. He opened his mouth as if he’d speak—only to cough a dark, splattering wave over me.

I recoiled in horror, but then froze.

There was a moment when I saw myself from the outside. Watched myself stare at the bloodied blade in my hand. Felt the plummet of sick dread in my chest.

Blood.

Staring eyes.

Death.

Again.

All the fear of that night in the alleyway with Voski came roaring back.

Even as the shriek tore from my throat, I tried to counter it. I shoved to my feet and looked for Voski, heard him scream.

My head snapped up—too slowly.

My body didn’t respond when I ordered it to rush toward him. I staggered.

My heart hammered, battering against the wall between us—I needed him!

He turned slowly, so slowly, his eyes following something I couldn’t see, until he faced me, and his mouth opened.

He shouted, pleaded, screamed. But I couldn’t take it in.

Then a blood-red shadow appeared from nowhere, just feet to my right and I jerked.

Voski screamed again, sprinting toward me in slow motion, a warning, because it was his mother, Lady Ashford, who’d manifested out of nothing at my side.