Page 42 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

Golden light burst through his tattoos, and his shoulders broadened, bones cracking as they realigned. The curved horns like molten gold emerged from his dark curls, and wings of midnight feathers edged in gold unfurled from his back, spanning the width of the room.

I stood on my knees on the mattress so I could see over Bastian’s shoulder and wing.

Reiji faltered for a moment, surprise flashing across his features before his mask of control returned. “Interesting,” he murmured. His lips curled into a cruel smile. “Perhaps Veris was right to fear what might awaken in you, bastard.”

The first blast of elemental magic shook the entire room, dark and corrupted.

Bastian’s wings swept forward, shielding us both as debris rained down from the ceiling.

The sanctuary shuddered as the external attack on the wards continued. My hearing picked up sounds of fighting throughout the building—clashing steel, popping gunfire, explosive magic, and desperate cries as my people tried to defend their home. How many enemies had Reiji smuggled in while playing ally?

“You should have heeded the warnings in the ward testing,” Reiji said, his voice carrying an edge of madness. “There would be no need for this if only you’d bound me then!” The corrupted magic pouring off him carried echoes of something darker—something harboring the Shadow King’s hungry presence.

Reiji hadn’t acted alone in his systematic attack on our wards the other day, and he wasn’t acting alone now. I knew exactly who had guided his hand.

“You’ve let him in,” I said, silver light gathering around me as I stood on the bed in my oversized sleep shirt. Bastian’s wings flared out, ready to block any magical blasts Reiji threw at us. “You’re the Shadow King’s bitch.”

Reiji’s smile wavered. For a moment, I glimpsed something beneath his madness—a desperate need for validation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snapped, his corrupted magic crackling between his palms like lightning dipped in tar.

Running footsteps drew closer. Ren appeared in the doorway behind Reiji, her dark eyes wide with shock. Her confidence had shattered, leaving only raw pain as she stared at him.

“Reiji?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Little brother, what have you done?”

“Brother,” I mouthed, stunned by the revelation.

Reiji’s power fluctuated wildly. “What I had to,” he snarled, though his tone betrayed deeper wounds. “What you and mother were too afraid to do. The House of the Moon is weak. There’s no reason for us to bow and scrape and beg for the approval of this—” He sneered at me. “Thisbitch. We’re the strongest House.Sheshould be on her knees, beggingmeto join her harem. Then, maybe you and Mother would finally see me.”

“Reji, please,” Ren begged, her heart breaking right in front of us, her voice carrying such profound sorrow that my chest ached. “We do see you. Weloveyou.”

Reiji’s expression hardened as corrupted power gathered around him. “Love? What good is love without power? Without recognition?” His eyes blazed with an unnatural darkness that seemed to consume the light. “When I deliverherto the Shadow King, I won’t needlove. I’ll be more powerful than you or Mother.” He held his head higher. “I’ll be the first High Priest of the House of the Stars.”

Ren guffawed. “If you do this, there won’tbea House of the Stars.”

“You’re wrong!” Reiji shouted, his eyes blazing.

Ren flinched, then stepped farther into the room. “Reiji,” she whispered, “please. This isn’t who you are. The corruption is speaking, not you.”

Reiji’s laugh held no warmth. “Who Iam? I’m what you and Mother made me. The unwanted prince. The disappointment. The one who was never enough.” His voice cracked on that last word, revealing the wounded child beneath the madness.

The sight of this powerful man breaking apart from within made my chest ache with unwanted recognition. How many times had I felt the exact same way? Never enough, always the second choice, the backup plan. I was never supposed to be High Queen. That had been meant for Amaya.

Javier crept into view behind Reiji, but I stilled him with a slice of my chin before he attacked.

“Reiji,” Ren’s voice softened as she moved closer to her brother, palms open in a plea. “This isn’t about power or worthiness. This is about family. About trust. Please, let me help you.”

For a moment, something flickered in Reiji’s expression—grief, raw and profound. The wrongness in his magic wavered. But then his eyes hardened again and corrupted power crackled around him.

“Help me? Like you helped me when Mother named you heir? Like you helped me prove myself worthy of our bloodline?” The corrupted magic intensified, filling the room with the stench of ozone and rot. “I don’t need your help anymore, sister. I have real power now.”

Ren’s anguish was a physical thing, her shoulders sinking as though bearing an invisible weight. “Some choices,” she whispered, “can’t be unmade.”

The corrupted magic surged forward like a cancerous mass. I braced for impact, silver light instinctively rising around me, but Ren moved with unexpected speed, positioning herself between us. Her hands sliced through the air in a complex pattern, starlight dancing at her fingertips, and everything immediately around her froze—Javier lunging at Reiji, my moonlight, her brother—as if solidified in amber.

“I’m sorry, little brother,” she said, her voice breaking. A constellation of light points erupted from her hands, expanding into a web of pure starlight that wrapped around Reiji.

He collapsed to his knees, his skin smoking where Ren’s magical net touched him.

Ren’s first spell faded, and Javier dropped unceremoniously to the floor as my blast of moonlight fizzled out.

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