Page 47

It makes me feel uneasy. Psychological warfare through magical manipulation is a classic coven tactic. They're wearing her down to prepare her for something.

"We should move again."

"Where? They found us in Chicago, at the estate, at a safe house." She angles toward me, and the exhaustion carved into her features makes something inside me twist. "Look at the pattern, Darius. Every single move we've made aligns perfectly with their layout. We are tracing their map, arriving right at the coordinates they've established for us."

Before I have a chance to respond, every ward around the cabin explodes simultaneously.

The magical barriers detonate inward, sending shockwaves through the forest that flatten trees and shatter windows throughout the campsite. Screams erupt from neighboring cabins as families with children scramble for cover.

"Get down!" I shove Serenity behind the overturned couch as the front door disintegrates in a shower of splinters.

Six figures in ceremonial white robes glide through the opening, moving with unnatural grace. The one in the front removes her mask and showcases the face that's been haunting Serenity's visions.

Platinum blonde hair spills past her shoulders, framing a face so symmetrically beautiful it borders on wrong—the kind of perfection that exists to lure prey closer. Her skin is luminous as bone china held against firelight, unmarred except for thin ritual scars tracing her collarbones. Her movements make the air around her feel thinner, and when her pale eyes—cold and bright as polished mercury—fix on Serenity, the feral hunger in them is almost intimate.

"Hello, darling."

Serenity freezes as the voice strikes a chord within the primitive strata of her mind. "It's you."

Sybil offers a brilliant, cold smile. "Yes, it's me in the flesh. I’m Sybil Velkyn. Nice to finally meet the Vessel outside of her own head."

I shift partially as my wolf bounds close to the surface. Golden light bleeds into my vision as my enhanced senses catalog the six assassins brandishing enchanted weapons alongside the magical energy writhing around Sybil like barely contained lightning.

"Serenity Crowe." Sybil steps delicately over the debris, ignoring me. "You've led us quite the chase. Though I must say, your choice in companions leaves something to be desired."

"Funny," Serenity snarls, light beginning to gather around her hands. "I was about to say the same thing about yours."

Outside, a child's terrified crying cuts through the night. A family is trapped in cabin twelve, probably huddled in their bathroom while magical fire spreads through the forest around them.

Sybil follows my glance toward the sound and smiles. "Collateral damage is so unfortunate, isn't it? Perhaps if you'd come quietly when we first asked, those innocents wouldn't be in danger now."

"You want me?" Serenity steps out from behind our cover, her hands dropping to the athames strapped to her thighs. Power radiates from her in waves that make the air shimmer. "Then come and take me."

The cabin explodes outward as Serenity's power collides with Sybil's blood magic. Wooden beams splinter, sending us all tumbling through the destroyed wall into the moonlit clearing beyond.

I roll to my feet as my claws extend partially from my fingertips. Sybil lands gracefully, white robes billowing around her, her eyes locked on mine in dangerous amusement.

"The legendary Darius Morvane," she purrs, circling me slowly. "Tell me, does she know what you really are? What you're capable of when someone threatens what's yours?"

Behind her, Kellan crashes through the trees and tackles two assassins in a blur of motion. His wolf form tears into them, its ruthless, unyielding momentum smashing through their ranks while Serenity races toward a collapsed family near Cabin Twelve.

"I'm not here to chat," I state, lunging forward.

Sybil moves gracefully with my strike, laughing. "Oh, but I am. You see, I've been watching you both for weeks. I notice your steady focus on her whenever her attention turns elsewhere. Your wolf responds beautifully to her magic." She gestures toward Serenity, who is removing debris off a trapped child. "It's fascinating, really. A powerful predator perfectly aligned with his true counterpart."

Feinting left, I drive my right fist toward her ribs, but she flows around the blow.

"She's going to destroy you," Sybil continues conversationally, raising a shield of crackling energy to block my next attack. "That pretty little witch carries death in her bloodline. Everyone who gets close to a Crowe woman dies eventually."

Over her shoulder, I catch a flash of gray fur as Kellan rips through a third robed figure, tearing the blade from his grip and leaving him motionless in the dirt.

"Shut up."

"Destruction is woven right into her family history. Her people always burn out spectacularly when the power takes over." Sybil's smile widens as she launches a whip of crackling energy that I barely dodge. "What makes you think you'll be different?"

Across the clearing, Serenity helps the injured family reach safety behind an overturned vehicle. Her power flares as she shields them from falling embers, liquid starlight cascading around her.

Sybil follows my glance and tsks. "Already choosing her over your own survival instincts. How disappointingly predictable."