Page 39 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

The ground trembled beneath our feet as another wave of power crashed against the wards. Books tumbled from shelves, pages fluttering like startled birds. The ancient chandelier swayed ominously overhead, chains clanging. A patrol of vampires rushed past the open door, their faces grim with battle-readiness.

“Come,” Isador said, striding toward the doorway. “To the Selenarium. Now.”

Javier’s hand settled at the small of my back. His fingers pressed against my spine, not guiding but supporting.

We moved through the corridors with urgent purpose, Javier and Bastian flanking me while Isador led us toward the secret staircase. Reiji followed close behind, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. Vampires sprinted past us, carrying weapons or supplies, some calling out status reports about parts of the sanctuary.

The hidden passage in the floor opened at Isador’s touch, the marble dissolving to reveal the spiraling stone staircase leading down into darkness. Silver sigils flared to life along the curved wall, their pulsing light casting strange shadows across our faces, transforming familiar features into something otherworldly.

“Only those accepted by the goddess may enter the chamber at the bottom,” Isador told Reiji, her voice carrying a note of solemn warning. “Queens and their bound consorts.”

A thread of panic wove through me again. “What about Micah?” The thought of my son being barred from safety while the sanctuary crumbled around him sent ice through my veins.

“Your son will be granted passage,” Isador assured me, her copper eyes softening. “He carries your blood. The goddess always recognizes her own.”

Reiji’s face betrayed nothing at this exchange, but something in his eyes shifted, a subtle assessment recalibrating what he knew—or what he thought he knew—about me and my son. “I’m coming with you,” Reiji said, lifting his chin slightly. “At least down the stairs. If I can’t cross the threshold, so be it.”

“Youwon’tbe able to cross,” Isador snapped.

A shudder rippled through the sanctuary, stronger than before. The sound of breaking stone echoed from somewhere above us.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice tight with urgency. “Let’s go!”

We hurried down the stairs, each step taking us deeper into the sanctuary’s heart. The silver sigils brightened as I passed. The air grew heavier with each step, charged with ancient power and the promise of divine secrets.

I stepped through the archway beyond the base of the stairs without hesitation, and Isador, Bastian, and Javier filed in behind me. I spun around at Reiji’s sharp intake of breath. He stood frozen at the threshold, one hand raised against an invisible barrier. Silver light rippled from the archway where his palm pressed against it, like disturbed water reflecting moonlight.

I caught the flicker of disappointment—or perhaps resignation—in his eyes. “I’ll stand guard from here,” he vowed.

Javier’s hand pressed gently at my back, his touch drawing me back to the immediate danger.

I turned away from Reiji reluctantly and took in the chamber fully. The crystalline sphere at the apex of the domed ceiling glowed crimson, like a captured blood moon. The red sigils marking the moon phases in a large circle on the stone floor pulsed in time with my heartbeat.

Urgent voices and echoing footsteps drew my attention back to the archway. Ash passed through, followed by Micah, then Thane. Micah’s eyes widened at the sight of me, relief and confusion warring in his expression.

I crossed to him quickly, pulling him into a tight hug. “Are you okay?” I asked, pulling away and scanning him for any sign of injury.

He nodded, his eyes wide as he took in our surroundings. “What’s happening? What is this place?”

“The Selenarium,” I explained, keeping my voice steady despite the chaos around us. “The safest place in the Moon Sanctuary.”

The floor shook again, stone groaning under the assault. Even here, surrounded by the strongest, oldest wards, I could feel the malevolent force pushing against the edges of our defenses.

“Sophie!” Isador said. “You must act, now!”

23

“Stayclosetothewall,” I told Micah, pointing toward the archway. If something went wrong in the ritual, at least that would give him a chance to flee. “And whatever happens, don’t cross into the ritual circle.”

Isador directed each of my consorts to their positions—Javier to the new moon sigil, Bastian to the full moon, Ash to the waxing gibbous, and Thane to the waning gibbous. The remaining phases—waxing and waning crescent, and first and third quarters—remained painfully empty. I felt those absences acutely, particularly the space where Gavin should have stood. The waxing crescent. I knew it without needing to be told.

In the back of my mind, I noticed a detail I hadn’t before—there were eight lunar sigils in the ritual circle, even though the standard harem size was seven. But my gut told me all eight spots were supposed to be filled.

“What exactly are we doing?” I asked, centering myself beneath the crystal moon.

Isador’s expression turned grave. “Connecting to the original warding magic laid down by Selene herself.” She crossed the line of the sigil circle, entering the ritual space. “The wards are failing because they’ve been supported by the magic of individual queens for too long. They need to be reconnected to their source—to Selene. To her magic.”

The implications settled heavily in my chest. Because as I’d shown in the graveyard, I could channel Selene’s divine power.

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