I dreamt of my lake.

I was swimming, gliding effortlessly through the cool, dark waters. I knew I wasn’t alone as I rose to the surface. A figure waited on the bank.

A wolf, more silver than white in the splintered streams of moonlight, watched.

And as I let myself sink back into the water, I thought I’d seen that wolf before. Not in a dream, but many years ago when I walked these woods as a child. But that thought floated away as I drifted through the water.

I wanted to stay here, where it was peaceful and calm and nothing terrible could disturb me. I swam and swam until I felt the faint wiggle of the embers in my chest. Pushing to the surface, I turned to the bank of my lake.

To where the white wolf once sat. And Ash now stood.

My head thumped with dull pain that traveled down and along my jaw as I drew in a deep breath of air that smelled nothing like the last thing I remembered: the smoke and stench of charred flesh and death. The musty, foul scent of the ship Attes had shadowstepped us onto.

That was the last thing I remembered.

That and the explosion of pain along the back of my skull the moment Attes released me.

Which likely explained the throbbing headache. Traitorous bastard.

Only the gods knew how long he’d been working with Kolis.

I vowed to myself that I would see him dead before I took my last breath, but how I would accomplish that was yet to be seen. There was a far more pressing concern at the moment.

The air I breathed as I lay on something decadently soft carried the scent of vanilla and…and lilac—stale lilac.

I was no longer on the ship, and I feared I knew exactly where I was.

My eyes felt glued shut, much as they had when I awoke from my brief stasis, but it took far greater effort to pry them open this time. And that was yet another concern to add to the already overflowing list of them. Many were for me, but also Ash…the others.

Had Attes honored his vow and stopped the attacks? Were…our people safe? Orphine and Rhain? Rhahar and the others. Was Ash? I knew he would survive the dakkais, the Cimmerian, and anything else thrown his way, but he had been wounded. Maybe even enough to need to feed— something he’d likely resist doing. He’d be weakened. And look what had happened to Veses. She’d gone into stasis. The same could happen to Ash.

I stopped myself before I began spiraling and lost whatever calm I had left—which wasn’t much. I needed to find a way back to Ash. He needed to take the embers, and I…

I needed to see him one last time. To say goodbye. To tell him that I… that I loved him. I’d been wrong to not tell him before, out of fear it would cause him guilt. My chest squeezed. I didn’t think that now. He needed to know. I needed him to know.

And I had to get out of here. Which meant I couldn’t lose it. I had to keep my senses sharp because my time was limited. I felt that in my bones. So, I forced my eyes open.

And saw nothing.

Only deep, dark utter nothingness. Pressure rose to settle on my chest. I swallowed to take a deep breath—

Something tightened around my throat.

Icy fear punched into my chest as I lifted a shaking hand to my neck. My fingers met a thin, cool metal band at the base of my throat, below my pulse. I dragged my fingers across it, finding a thick hook in the center, and….

A chain.

Panic exploded as I gripped the chain, jerking up so fast my heart seemed to whoosh and then stutter. Dizziness swept through me. Hands

trembling, I pulled weakly on the chain, jumping at the loud rattle it made against what sounded to be stone floors. The length was long, and no matter how much I pulled, the chain met no resistance, but that didn’t fill me with any sort of relief.

Because there was a godsdamn shackle around my neck.

The pressure continued tightening around my chest as I struggled to control my breathing and not let the panic take complete hold. But I was chained, and—

Lights flooded the space, sharp and bright.

Blinded, I threw up a hand to shield my stinging eyes, dropping the chain. It clanged off the floor, hurting my ears.

“You’re awake.” The voice.

It wasn’t Attes or Kolis, but it was familiar.

“You’ve been out for two days,” the male added.

My chest seized. Two days? Had I gone into another stasis and somehow survived?

“We were beginning to worry,” he said with a laugh. “Attes wasn’t supposed to hit you that hard, but he’s…as some would say—and that some being me—all looks and little thought.”

Slowly, I lowered my hand and blinked open watering eyes. The first thing I saw was the golden, shimmery swirls on my right hand. The imprint. The comfort that brought vanished as I lifted my gaze.

I went cold inside. Numb at what I saw.

Gold bars spaced about half a foot apart. A cage. A gilded cage. Horror clawed its way through me, leaving me frozen, hand still half-raised.

“He should’ve been more careful. After all, you are technically just a mortal. Isn’t that correct?” he continued. “Not a god on the verge of their Culling. Not even a godling. But a mortal with embers of life inside them.”

A tremor started deep in my chest, where the embers remained unnervingly quiet. I turned, my gaze flickering over chests of varying sizes, a round table, a chair, a gold-toned divan, and a thick rug of fur. All items in the cage with me.

Then I saw him. Golden hair.

Golden mask.

Pale blue eyes lit by the faintest wisps of eather. Eyes I had believed belonged to a god. But Dyses had the same eyes, and he was something else entirely.

A Revenant.

I’d seen this male in Dalos, only a bit of his profile. He’d been in the hall, waiting for Davon. But that wasn’t the first time I’d seen him.

I’d seen him in the mortal realm, in my kingdom, and that was why the gold-painted wings had kept striking a chord of familiarity. He’d been at Wayfair, speaking with my mother. Ezra had told me his name.

Callum.

He stood a few feet on the other side of the cage, but it was the only other thing in the space that occupied the otherwise dark chamber that caught my attention. A single elaborate, gold-adorned chair.

A throne.

Bile rose, and I choked it back as I lowered my hand to the soft blanket on the bed I lay on.

The same taunting, half-formed grin I’d seen that day at Wayfair appeared now. “Hello, Seraphena Mierel. It is so lovely to see you again.” His head tilted, and he smiled, causing the edges of the painted wings to lift across his cheeks and above his brows. “Do you remember me?”

“Did the…” I cleared my throat, wincing as the band momentarily tightened. “Was the attack stopped?”

“Attes gave you his vow. Kyn’s forces pulled back.” His head straightened as I glanced down at the hilt of the sword strapped to his back, and the dagger secured to his thigh. He’d gotten rid of most of the golden attire. Only the embroidered tunic was the sunny color. The pants were dark. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I remember you.” My fingers dug into the blanket as I steadied myself, lowering my feet to the floor—my bare feet.

I looked down, and this time, I flashed hot before going cold again as I saw gold. I no longer wore my pants or even my shirt and vest. I wore a golden sheath of nearly sheer, gossamer fabric.

“You were covered in filth and stank of the Shadowlands and the Primal there,” Callum explained.

My head jerked up. “The only stench I carry on me is that of this place.”

Callum’s grin kicked up a notch. “I would warn you not to let His Majesty hear you say that.”

Anger simmered through my veins, a red-hot fury. “Fuck His Majesty.” The thing before me chuckled. “And I would strongly advise that you don’t let him hear that,” he said. “Anyway, you were bathed and given

cleaned clothing.”

Bile rose once more at the knowledge that I had no idea who had taken care of that. I couldn’t dwell on those things, though. I couldn’t. I glanced around the chamber, spying one door and what appeared to be a sliding partition wall, both currently closed. “Do you expect me to thank you?”

“I would expect no such thing.” He drifted a foot closer to the bars. “But it would be nice.”

I sneered as I glanced at the dagger on his thigh again. “You were speaking to the Queen—”

“Queen Calliphe? Your mother, you mean,” he interrupted, and I stiffened. “Though I got the distinct impression that she wasn’t much of a mother.” He shrugged, and…good gods, wasn’t it telling that even he had noticed that. Gods. “But, yes, I was speaking to your mother. I spoke to her often.” His chin lowered as those pale, pale eyes glinted with mischief. “For many years.”

I jolted.

Callum came a bit closer. “Have you ever wondered how a mortal came into possession of the knowledge of how to kill a Primal?”

“Let me guess,” I hissed. “You?”

He angled his body slightly and bowed with a flourishing sweep of his arm as his gaze met mine. “Me.” He winked and then straightened, his smile fading as his eyes widened. “What? You seem shocked to learn this.”

I had wondered how my family could’ve learned such information, but I had assumed it was a Fate or maybe even a viktor. But this? Knowing that the knowledge had been gained only during the last two decades? It wasn’t hard to believe that my mother had lied, but that someone of Kolis’s Court had shared the information with her? Possibly even one of his Revenants? Never.

It didn’t make sense.

“Why would you do that? Why would he—?” I jerked again, stomach dipping as disbelief rose. “Kolis knows.”

A slow smile tipped up the corner of his mouth. “Of course, he does. He is the King of Gods.” He spoke gently as if conversing with a child. “His Majesty learned of it the night of your birth when your father summoned the Primal of Life to make another deal.”

Every muscle in my body stiffened. “What?”

“What was his name? Ah, yes. Lamont. Poor King Lamont had no idea that Eythos had answered his ancestor, so he spoke openly and freely with His Majesty. Asked for—no, demanded—that another deal be made, one that freed his newly born daughter from any obligations promised during the original deal.”

Reeling, I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. The news that my father had tried to undo the deal—for me—left me stunned.

“He was quite insistent. Desperate, even. Unfortunately, one cannot simply undo deals made by a Primal.” Callum’s lips pursed. “Either way, the deal was of great interest to His Majesty. After all, he knew that his brother must have done something with the true embers of life since they didn’t pass to His Majesty upon his brother’s death.”

My lips parted. That meant…gods, that meant Kolis had drained his brother of his lifeforce. His own brother. Sickened, I gripped the edge of the bed.

“He spent many years searching for wherever his graeca had scampered off to.” Callum laughed. “Scampered. I do love that word.”

Graeca.

The word had two meanings. Love. And life. But when Taric had fed from me and said that he wondered what the graeca would taste like, I’d thought he’d learned about the soul inside me. But he hadn’t. Taric had tasted life. Graeca had always meant life—the embers of life.

“His Majesty knew that Eythos had to have hidden them somewhere.” Callum tilted his head. “Then, enter your father and the discovery of the deal. So, yes, His Majesty has known since your birth what you carry inside you.”

Good gods…

I rose without realizing it, without even understanding why, I only knew that I couldn’t remain seated as shock rolled into confusion and then gave way to anguish.

“No,” I stated, flinching at the sound of the chain rattling against the floor as I stepped forward.

“Yes.”

I didn’t want to believe it. Not because I couldn’t understand how Kolis had known this entire time and proceeded as he had, and not even because Kolis surely knew how to remove the embers from me. But because everything…

Everything Ash had sacrificed had been for nothing.

Kolis had known about me and the embers. He had always known. And there had been no reason to keep me undiscovered and safe. For others to have given up their lives to do so. There was no reason for Ash to have made that deal with Veses.

Callum eyed me. “You seem upset.”

Upset? I shuddered, seizing the anger instead of the sorrow. One strengthened me. The other would destroy me.

He shrugged once more. “It was quite clever of Eythos, though, wasn’t it? To take the last of those embers and hide them in a simple mortal, where no one would think to look—a mortal he insured would belong to his son. Very clever.”

As Callum spoke, I realized that Callum had not once mentioned Sotoria’s soul. That was something neither King Roderick—who made the deal—nor my father would’ve known about.

And neither did Kolis.

“If he knew I had Primal embers in me, why wait?” I asked, tucking the piece of knowledge about the soul away. “Why let me be taken into the Shadowlands? Why let it get to—to this point? People died and—” I sucked in a sharp breath. “He could’ve taken me at any time. Why wait?”

“Blood.” Callum inhaled deeply. “Ash.”

Something about the way he said that shook free a memory of the night the draken had freed the entombed gods. Veses’ guard had said something similar after he scented my blood. He’d said—

“Blood and ash.”

I stiffened to the point where the shackle around my neck threatened to cut into my throat. My heart fell and tumbled as I turned to the partition wall. It had opened, letting a bit of the rare hours of night seep into the chamber. I could make out the shadows of tall leafy trees behind…

Kolis.

At that very second, I realized I hadn’t thought of what I’d been groomed to do since birth. What Holland had prepared me for. Not once

since waking up.

Become his weakness. Make him fall in love. End him.

Kolis. Not Ash.

And here I was, with him, yet fulfilling my duty was the furthest thing from my mind as I fought the urge to take several steps back from the false King. He was dressed as he had been when I saw him in Dalos. Loose linen pants. No shirt or boots. He bore no crown tonight as Callum faced him, bowing deeply.

“I’m glad to see you’re finally awake,” Kolis noted.

Breathe in. The embers remained silent as Kolis strode forward, but there was still a burning in my chest. Terror and fury that were only partly mine. A sense similar to déjà vu swept through me. I hadn’t been here before, caged and chained.

But Sotoria had. When Kolis brought her back to life.

I wanted to run. I wanted to rage, but a lifetime of being taught to never show fear—to never show any emotion—filled me. The veil settled over me as I held Kolis’s stare.

Kolis inclined his chin. “You do not kneel?” “No,” I bit out. “I do not.”

Kolis laughed, low and soft, as Callum stepped to the side of the gilded cage. “Still incredibly brave, I see. Just as you were when you took the dagger handed to you.” He placed his fingers on the bars. “Then again, how brave were you when you planned to betray me the moment you left? Using what does not belong to you to snatch away the life owed me?”

I clenched my jaw shut to stop myself from saying something incredibly foolish and keep my teeth from chattering. “Blood and ash?” I repeated. “What does that mean?”

Kolis trailed his hand over the bars as he laughed again. A look akin to respect flickered over his too-perfect features, and then his gaze lowered. I could only be grateful for my loose hair hanging in tangled curls over my chest. “It is the name of the prophecy.”

My thoughts immediately went to the one Penellaphe had shared. “A prophecy?”

“No. I speak of the prophecy. The last dreamt by the Ancients. A promise only known by a few. Dared to be spoken of by even fewer.” His fingers danced over the bars as he began to walk, to prowl. “And only repeated by the descendant of the Gods of Divination,” he said. Penellaphe. He spoke of her. “And by the last oracle to be born.”

The god, Delfai, had mentioned the last oracle, too, hadn’t he? An oracle born of the Balfour bloodline. What were the chances that it was a coincidence that Delfai had mentioned this oracle?

None.

Kolis’s grin was slow and cold. “But my dear Penellaphe didn’t receive a complete vision,” he said.

I tensed.

“Lucky for her, Penellaphe believed I had no knowledge of the vision. Those who do seem to meet untimely deaths,” he said, and Callum chuckled. “My brother knew.” He gestured at me. “Obviously.”

I turned, following him as he stalked the length of the cage.

He stopped directly across from me. “Prophecies often come in threes.

Each part seemingly unrelated until they’re all pieced together.”

The nape of my neck tingled. Penellaphe…she had said that. That they often had a beginning, a middle, and an end, and they weren’t always received in order or completely.

Kolis’s golden-flecked gaze shifted to Callum.

He stepped forward. “‘From the desperation of golden crowns and born of mortal flesh, a great primal power rises as the heir to the lands and seas, to the skies and all the realms. A shadow in the ember, a light in the flame, to become a fire in the flesh,’” he recited. “‘When the stars fall from the night, the great mountains crumble into the seas, and old bones raise their swords beside the gods, the false one will be stripped from glory until two born of the same misdeeds, born of the same great and Primal power in the mortal realm. A first daughter, with blood full of fire, fated for the once- promised King. And the second daughter, with blood full of ash and ice, the other half of the future King. Together, they will remake the realms as they usher in the end.’”

“‘And so it will begin with the last Chosen blood spilled, the great conspirator birthed from the flesh and fire of the Primals will awaken as the Harbinger and the Bringer of Death and Destruction to the lands gifted by

the gods,’” Kolis continued for Callum. “‘Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.’”

Kolis pressed his forehead against the bars. “I’m sure you’ve heard that before.”

The fact that he’d known Penellaphe had spoken to us unsettled me greatly.

“And what do you think of it?” he asked.

I forced a half-shrug. “Nothing much except that it’s clear to me who the false one—the great conspirator—is.”

Kolis laughed. “Your attitude amuses me.” “Happy to hear that.”

“But not that amused.” His eyes flashed an intense shade of gold and silver. “But, yes, I do believe it was referring to me. Now, the two daughters? That has always confounded me. Still does a little, but I do believe it’s Mycella. She was, after all, promised to the once King. My brother.” He tapped his chin. “The second daughter? You. You are promised to the future King—or who would’ve been the future King once Eythos entered Arcadia, and Nyktos Ascended to take his place.

“Three parts. The beginning. The middle,” Kolis continued before I could wrap my head around the fact that Ash and I had believed the middle part was some time in the future. “And then the end. There is more to that prophecy.”

“Of course, there is,” I murmured.

“There is the end.” Kolis smirked as he gripped the bars. “‘For the one born of the blood and the ash, the bearer of two crowns, and the bringer of life to mortal, god, and draken. A silver beast with blood seeping from its jaws of fire, bathed in the flames of the brightest moon to ever be birthed, will become one,’” he said, and my skin chilled. “That would be you again, in case you’re not keeping up with things.”

My pulse thrummed unsteadily as my thoughts whirled. “My…my title.

The born of blood and ash part. The…the brightest moon.”

“Yes. Your title, bestowed on you by my nephew.” His smirk deepened. “‘Blood and ash’ is something the draken like to say. It can mean several things.”

I folded an arm across my stomach. “That’s…that’s what he said.”

“He spoke no lie, at least not then.” A hint of his fangs appeared, turning my stomach. “Blood. The strength of life. Ash. The bravery of

death. Life and Death, if taken literally.”

Suddenly, I remembered Keella’s reaction to the title and how she’d asked what had inspired it. My Consort’s hair. That had been an honest answer. I knew this, felt it in my bones and heart, and Keella had…she had said it made her hopeful. Just as Delfai had said after referencing the brightest moon upon Ash not killing him. Could they be the few who knew of the complete vision? Keella was nearly as old as Kolis, and the gods only knew how old Delfai was. Then there was Veses’ guard. He knew what he’d sensed when he scented my blood. And Veses’ reaction to learning what I carried. I was betting she knew, too.

“You carry the Primal embers of life. You have from birth, thanks to my brother.” The golden flecks stilled in his eyes. “And now you are the bearer of two crowns.”

Two crowns.

I inhaled, chest tightening. The crown of the Consort and the crown of a Princess. “That was why you waited. For me to be crowned?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you delay—?” Bringer of life to mortal, god, and draken. My stomach cramped. “You needed me to restore the draken’s life.”

That smile of his returned and sent a dual bolt of dread and anger through me. Because Attes had been playing us even then with Thad’s life.

“I needed to make sure the embers had reached that point of power. That you were at the point the prophecy referenced for the rest to take place.”

What had Kolis said when I demanded to know what taking Thad’s life would give him? He’d said it would tell him everything he needed to know. And it had. “Is there more to the prophecy?”

Callum’s laugh echoed behind me.

Kolis nodded. “‘And the great powers will stumble and fall, some all at once, and they will fall through the fires into a void of nothing. Those left standing will tremble as they kneel, will weaken as they become small, as they become forgotten. For finally, the Primal rises, the giver of blood and the bringer of bone, the Primal of Blood and Ash.’”

My lips parted as my eyes widened. “The Primal of Blood and Ash…” A shudder of disbelief coursed through me. A being that should not exist. “A Primal of Life and Death.”

“Clever girl,” Kolis remarked.

“I’m not a girl,” I snapped, my arm falling to my side. “And one does not have to be that clever. It’s literally said right in the prophecy.”

“No, you’re not a girl,” he purred, sending a curl of disgust through me. “You are the vessel who will fulfill what the Ancients dreamt of. Who will give me what I want.”

“And that’s…to do what? Rule over Iliseeum and the mortal realm?” I laughed. “Sounds to me like it will only give you what you deserve.”

“And that is?” “Your death.”

Kolis’s still eyes met mine, and several seconds ticked by as tiny bumps spread across my flesh. “You would think that. Perhaps that is what it originally foreshadowed, but I suppose the Ancients never thought I’d try to change it. That I’d dare to do so. Apparently, it was acceptable—even foretold—that Eythos set things in motion.” A sneer accompanied the mention of his brother. “But me?” He laughed coldly. “No, they thought I’d just stand by and do nothing. They should’ve foreseen that, but even in their dreams, they underestimated me. What I will do to not only stay alive but also get what I want. And that is to be the one, Seraphena. The beginning and the end. Life and death.”

His eyes began to glow. “There will be no need for mortal Kings. There will be no need for any other Primal. Not when a Primal of Life and Death has risen.”

A new horror descended over me. “You…you want to kill all the Primals?”

“Most of them. Yeah. What?” He snorted. “You look surprised. Come now, you’ve met a few of them.” He shook his head. “You’ve seen firsthand how fucking annoying most of them are.”

Well, I couldn’t argue with that, but…

“Whiny, sniveling brats who have forgotten the way things were. When we were respected and feared by not just mortals but also by the gods. When even the draken bowed to us.” His lip curled. “When power actually meant something.”

I took a step forward. “Do you not already have enough power? You’ve crowned yourself King of Gods. You already usurp any mortal ruler, as do the other Primals.” Anger flooded my senses. “Why would you need more power?”

“Why? What a silly fucking question,” he replied, and Callum laughed on cue. “One only a mortal would ask. Besides the fact that if I do nothing, I die? Power isn’t infinite or limitless. Another can always rise. Power can always be taken, leaving you weakened and incapable of protecting yourself or those you care for.”

“As if you care for anyone but yourself,” I snapped.

His eyes flashed pure gold, then he was inside the cage. With me. He remained several feet from me, but I felt his hand on my throat, squeezing tighter than the band there.

“As if you know a thing about me that hasn’t been told to you, Seraphena.” He took a step, the edges of his body blurring. “You think I’m the villain?”

I breathed in, but the pressure sealed off my throat. My hands flew to my neck.

“You think I’m the only villain in this tale? That the other Primals deserve to continue when they did nothing to help me when my brother ruled as King? Not one of them? That the mortals who carry wealth and prestige are innocent, worthy of life despite their many wars and lack of empathy for their brethren? You think I’m the only one who seeks absolute power? If so, then you’re not as clever as I thought you were.”

I couldn’t breathe.

He took another step forward. “Every mortal wants it. Every god. Every Primal. Even Eythos. What do you think he was setting up his son to become by putting the embers of life in the mortal promised to him as a Consort? ‘A silver beast with blood seeping from its jaws of fire, bathed in the flames of the brightest moon to ever be birthed will become one.’ Emphasis on the will-become-one part. Eythos put those embers in you so his son could take them—something Nyktos would’ve done the moment he knew he was ready, if he’d been aware of what it meant. He wanted Nyktos to be the Primal—the silver beast. To not only overthrow me and end me, but because Eythos knew his days were numbered. After all, the Ancients dreamt of just such a powerful being as the Primal of Blood and Ash. He knew what that meant for him, but he also knew that once his son took those embers and Ascended, Nyktos could even raise him.”

I wheezed, shaking.

Eyes burning like pools of gold, he dipped his head. “Eythos always hated me. Do you know why? Because he loved Mycella, and Mycella

loved me. It didn’t matter that I didn’t return those sentiments. That I never acted upon what she felt. He still hated me, and that was why he refused the only fucking thing I ever asked of him.” Kolis’s chest rose sharply. “If he hadn’t, it wouldn’t have changed any of this. The Ancients still had their dreams. Their visions. He still would’ve needed to die, but he could’ve saved the lives of so many others, including his precious Mycella—and all the lives his son had to take in place of him.”

I clawed at my throat, my veins bulging as my vision darkened—

The pressure released suddenly. I sagged, falling to my knees and palms. Gagging, I dragged deep gulps of air into my aching throat.

“But here we are.” Kolis knelt. “Just as promised.” He cupped my chin. Even though his handling was gentle, I flinched as he tipped my head back. “Do you know what’s about to happen, Seraphena?”

My throat was too raw to form words as I met his stare, but I knew exactly what would happen.

“I am about to drain you. I will take every drop of your blood. Even the last,” he said softly. “Then I will take the embers of life, and I will rise. I will complete my final Ascension. I will become the Primal of Life and Death. Those who do not bow to me and relinquish their Courts and kingdoms to me will die.” He leaned in, stopping when his face was mere inches from mine. “And I think you know what that means for my nephew.”

I shuddered.

“Yeah, you do.” His thumb swept over my cheek. “I will have what I want. What I deserve. Finally. Because…nothing”—he began to rise, forcing me to my feet—“absolutely nothing will be forbidden. Impossible. Not even what has been hidden from me.”

Sotoria.

He spoke of her.

“Seraphena Mierel,” Kolis murmured, bringing his mouth to my temple. “You kept the embers safe. You dared to use them. You made sure they were ready for me. Words can never do justice to the gratitude I feel. But thank you.”

Kolis struck.

There was no other warning.

He turned me so my back was to him, and then his fangs were at my throat, tearing into my flesh just above the band. A scream tore from me as

pain exploded. My body went rigid, eyes wide, and the pain…good gods, it was absolute.

I clawed at the arm around my waist—at the air. Kicked at him, at nothing. The agony was too much. With each deep draw he took, a fire ripped through me, tearing my bones from my skin and leaving flames in their place. Spasms of agony seized my chest, my throat, and this—oh, gods

—this was it. This was how I would die. He was going to drain me and take the embers. I would be the first to burn, and then the rest of the realms would follow.

I was dying.

I wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Ash, to tell him that I loved him. There was no saving him or any of the gods or realms. I wouldn’t fulfill my destiny. I jerked, my fingers curling inward, nails digging into my palms—into the imprint—

Ash could sense my pain. Feel it. Gods, could he feel this from where he was? He would know, though, when the imprint vanished from his palm. He would know then.

Kolis’s chest swelled against my back as he drew even harder, deeper— Heat poured into my chest as the embers began to flare faintly, weakly,

but the heat kept building and building. And that presence seized me again. That awareness. That voice. The voices.

No. No. No. No.

It wasn’t just my voice screaming. It was hers. Sotoria. All the lives she’d lived. And it was ours that moved my tongue.

“You’re killing me,” I slurred, eyes heavy. “You’re killing me again, after all these years.”

Kolis’s head jerked up. “What?”

My tongue felt useless. Bulky. The ceiling flickered in and out. There was no pain. The only thing I felt now was her anger—our rage.

“What did you just say?” Kolis turned me in his arms. His face blurred. Blood smeared his lips, his fangs. He shook me, rattling my head. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“It’s me…” A laugh that didn’t sound like mine at all parted my lips. “Sotoria.”

Kolis went completely still as his eyes searched my features, looked over my hair, my body. He shook his head, his lip curling, mouth dripping with blood. “Liar,” he snarled.

“It’s…not a lie. Eythos had her soul…” My heart felt as sluggish as my words. “And he placed it with the embers, to be…born again in me. I’m her.”

“There is no way.” He gripped my hair, jerking my head to the side. “Clever lie, though.”

“Your Majesty,” a voice interrupted. Attes. When had he arrived? “A moment please.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” The tension on my neck didn’t let up as Kolis barked out, “One second.”

“Keella,” Attes said.

Kolis went rigid once more.

“You know that Keella helped Eythos capture her soul so she could be reborn.” His voice was closer. “You know she’s out there, and you haven’t been able to find her, even though you’ve taken every Chosen—every mortal who bears an aura. Could it be that she hasn’t been reborn in all these recent centuries?” Attes questioned. “Could it be that you have finally found her?”

“This is a trick,” Callum snapped. “Do not trust her, and do not trust this Primal.”

“I know how to kill you, you bastard,” Attes growled. “Speak of me like that again, and I’ll prove it.”

A tremor ran through Kolis’s arm as he lifted my head, forcing my face to his. He stared down at me, his eyes widening as the eather swirled and then settled into flecks of gold.

“Think about it, Kolis,” Attes continued. “Your brother was very clever. He could have taken Sotoria’s soul and placed it with the embers to protect her and to spite you. You know he would.”

Kolis shuddered.

His arms loosened, and I began to fall. He caught me before I hit the floor, going down on one knee as he lifted me to his chest. He cradled my cheek with a trembling hand—then pulled me close, letting my head rest on the side of his arm. I recoiled at his touch, shrinking inside myself at the sight of the horror etched onto the false King’s face as he realized who he held in his arms—realized who he would have to kill.

Again.

Kolis shook. He rocked as my gaze drifted to the open doors and the shadowy leaves swaying in the balmy breeze. To the—

To a wolf.

A wolf crouched at the trunks of the trees. A wolf more silver than white.

A silver beast.

Bathed in the brightest moonlight.

Ash.