Page 113 of Unveiled

Connor glared. “If the ground collapses beneath us, there must be someone left alive to fight.”

Max’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Piper kissed Adrian’s cheek. “Don’t let the mark eat you.”

Moira smacked Connor’s arm. “And you don’t let the Veil take you. I will drag your wolf hide back from the afterlife if you fail me, Connor Brannigan.”

Xiathen raised a hand. “It is time.”

Adrian looked at Connor, who nodded once. Then they stepped once again onto the valley path together.

The moment they crossed the outer field, the temperature dropped. The grass beneath their boots was brittle and frost-laced, but it glowed faintly as though lit from below. Each step sent ripples through the cracks almost as if each fracture were a string on an instrument, their presence plucking notes the valley could understand.

Adrian shivered. “They feel us.”

Connor’s hand hovered at Adrian’s back. “Let him.”

The sky above flickered, the clouds twisting in a slow, spiralling motion. A soft wind blew, tainted with the scent of ozone and old magic.

“This is unsettling,” Connor murmured. “The valley doesn’t behave like this.”

Adrian nodded. “The anchors are fully awake.”

They walked, and the ground responded. Fissures glowed brighter as they passed. Strange, whispering voices slid through the air like ribbons of sound.

Adrian’s breath hitched. “They know where we are.”

Connor growled. “Good. Let them see us coming.”

They reached the first rise overlooking Glengáill. Below, the village flickered with lights and fear. Adrian exhaled shakily. “This is surreal.”

Connor brushed his hand against Adrian’s briefly. “Focus on me. Ignore them.”

Adrian nodded, steadying himself, and they continued on. The air shimmered. The fault lines pulsed. The ground trembled.

And then it began. A low rumble rose beneath them. The earth split a few feet ahead of them in a jagged crack of blue-white light.

“Here we go,” Adrian muttered.

The crack widened. Connor dragged Adrian back against his chest, holding him as the ground convulsed. Adrian’s body was taut with tension, his muscles straining against the pull.

Xiathen’s distant voice echoed across the valley. “Channel the bond.”

Connor pressed his forehead to Adrian’s, gripping the sides of his face. “Adrian. Look at me.”

Adrian gritted his teeth. “Connor, I can’t focus.”

“I know.” Connor pulled him closer, his voice dropping to a growl. “Give it to me.”

Adrian froze. “What?”

“Let the mark push into me. Split it. Trust me.”

Adrian hitched a breath. “Connor, if you take too much—”

“Then I break.” Connor bared his teeth. “But I won’t. So give it to me.”

Adrian nodded. The mark surged. He felt the pressure of giving as pain lanced through him, white, electric, vicious, as it drove straight into Connor’s chest. He clenched his jaw as he struggled to control the push.