Page 41 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

I reached out through my bonds with my consorts, drawing their energy toward me. Their power flowed through me like rivers to an ocean, filling spaces within me I hadn’t known existed. The gaps remained, three empty positions in our circle where power should have flowed but didn’t, but I was able to weave the flow of magic into a patch, mimicking the missing consorts. A poor stand-in. Barely functional, but if I shaped it just so…

The crystal moon’s light shifted, concentrating into a narrower beam that struck me directly. Pain lanced through my body as raw power flooded my system, more than in the graveyard with the queens. More than I’d ever channeled before. It burned through my veins like liquid fire, seeking release.

I cried out, my back arching as the power threatened to tear me apart from within. Through our bonds, I felt my consorts’ alarm spike.

“Mom!” Micah shouted.

“Stay where you are!” Isador commanded. “The flames will consume you!”

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t reassure him as the power built beyond what I could contain. My skin felt too small for what moved through me, ancient and raw. But the reminder that Micah was there anchored me, pulling me back from the edge of dissolution.

I raised my free hand toward the ceiling, toward the wards beyond, and released the gathered power in a controlled surge. Moonlight exploded outward from my palm, racing along invisible channels to the sanctuary’s boundaries. Where it touched the failing wards, they flared to life, ancient patterns reactivating with renewed strength.

The chamber went dark and quiet as the power drained away, feeding into the ward structure like water soaking into parched earth. Through some newfound sense, I felt the sanctuary’s defenses knitting themselves back together, closing the breaches that had formed during the attack. The tremors stilled as the wards stabilized, pushing back against whatever had been testing them.

I swayed on my knees, utterly wiped out. My consorts broke formation, rushing to my side. Javier reached me first, his arms encircling me with careful precision as Bastian hovered behind him. Ash and Thane formed a protective perimeter around us, their attention divided between me and the chamber’s entrance.

“Did it work?” I asked, my voice hoarse, as though I’d been screaming. Had I been screaming?

“Better than expected,” Isador replied, approaching cautiously, Micah at her side. “The wards are stronger than they’ve been in centuries…in places.”

“It was a patch,” Reiji said from the archway, his voice tinged with irritation. “A Band-Aid. Without your full circle, the solution is temporary.” His eyes met mine with renewed intensity. “You need what I offer, Sophie. Sooner than you think.”

Micah broke ahead of Isador, sliding to his knees beside Javier. “Are you okay?” he asked, scanning my face. “You were burning. We couldn’t even see you through the flames.”

I managed a weak smile, lifting a hand to his cheek. “I’m okay. Just tired.” I glanced at Isador. “Will the wards hold?”

She nodded. “For now.”

24

Asurgeofhostilemagicslammed against the wards, cold and oily, jolting me from sleep. It had been three days since the attack on the wards, and I’d slowly grown used to being constantly aware of them, like I’d sprung a brand new limb. And just like if I’d sprouted a new leg, I kept tripping and stumbling, adjusting to this new extension of me.

I’d grown familiar enough with my new sense of the wards to recognize the sensual caress of an undead vampire brushing up against them, the wild crackle of Bastian’s shifter magic, the whisper of a spirit, or even Ren’s starlight, which tickled like champagne bubbles.

Butthiswas nothing like that. This felt like razor-sharp nails scratching against glass, making every muscle in my body tense. Ice seeped into me, the magic from the wards backfilling me as the assault focused on a single weak point in the protective weave shielding the Moon Sanctuary.

Bastian stirred beside me, his body radiating heat that contrasted with the chill spreading through my veins. His muscles tensed as his amber eyes snapped open, already glowing with flecks of gold, the beast awakening with him. “What is it?” he growled, his voice rough with sleep.

“The wards,” I whispered, my fingers curling into the sheets.

I sensed Javier outside, patrolling the grounds with a handful of vampire guardians. His smoky presence hardened into something deadly as he registered my alarm, and he immediately changed course to race toward me. I sensed Ash and Thane downstairs; their steady vigilance sharpened into urgent purpose as they moved in tandem toward Micah’s room to protect my son.

The wards screamed as another lance of power slammed into them. I clutched my chest, panting through the pain. It felt like I was being attacked personally.

“Soph,” Bastian said, curling an arm around me. “What can I—” His focus snapped to the wall, like he could see through both the study and sitting room to the hallway beyond. “Someone’s coming.”

“Javier,” I offered, my teeth chattering. Except he didn’t feel close enough yet.

Bastian’s nostrils flared. “Not him.” He moved with liquid grace, sliding from the bed and standing protectively between me and the door. The golden light beneath the black ink of his tattoos writhed, and his body seemed to strain against its current form, muscles shifting beneath skin that couldn’t quite contain what lived within him.

I reached for him, my fingers brushing his arm. Where I touched, his tattoos flared brighter. The wild power inside him recognized me, leaning into my touch even as his body coiled tighter with tension.

My bedroom door burst inward.

Reiji stood in the doorway, power crackling around him like dark lightning. His pleasant mask had fallen away, his eyes glowing with unnatural light as he gathered elemental magic between his palms. Something felt wrong about Reiji’s power. “I am truly sorry about this, Sophie,” he said, satisfaction outweighing remorse. “But some sacrifices are necessary for the greater good.”

Bastian’s growl reverberated through the room, the sound too deep and resonant to have come from a human throat. His form blurred around the edges, the wild beast within him forcing its way out.

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