Page 55 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

Gavin caught my hand, bringing my wrist back to his lips. Not to drink, but to seal the wound with a slow, deliberate caress of his tongue. His silver eyes never left mine, a promise in their depths that sent heat pooling low in my belly.

“Thank you,” he murmured against my skin.

Through our renewed bond, I sensed Gavin’s strength returning, the shadow taint banished. He was far from healed—that would take much more than a quick feeding—but the corruption had been cleansed from his body, and the worst of his injuries were less severe than before.

The shifter commanders whispered among themselves, clearly disturbed by the display.

Gavin sat up, easing himself from my lap with newfound steadiness. “What have you promised him?” he asked, his voice low and urgent. His fingers remained interlaced with mine, as if he couldn’t bear to break the physical connection.

“The curse,” I said simply. “I’m going to break it.”

His expression darkened, silver eyes sharpening with alarm. “Sophie, no!” he said. “You can’t. The curse—”

“—protects the shifters from the Shadow King’s corruption,” I finished for him, keeping my voice low enough that the commanders couldn’t hear. “I know. I figured it out.”

“Then why would you agree to remove it?” The confusion in his eyes mirrored the tension in his body.

I leaned closer, our foreheads nearly touching. “Because the barrier between worlds is already failing. The Shadow King is breaking through. I’veseenit.” I glanced toward the chamber walls, where corrupted manganese veins pulsed with subtle shadow taint. “The corruption is already spreading.”

“More visions?” he asked, understanding dawning in his eyes, followed by strategic calculation.

I nodded.

“And what does Veris offer in return?”

“You. The queens. And…” I hesitated, searching his face. “A piece of my mom he kept all these years.”

Fury flashed across Gavin’s features, his fingers tightening around mine until they nearly hurt. “After all this time, he had a part of her?”

I nodded, swallowing against the knot in my throat. “Her ghost is here, Gavin. I can sense her, just barely, but the suppression wards are too strong. She’s trying to warn us aboutsomething, but I can’t make it out.”

A flicker of alarm passed through our bond, but before Gavin could say more, the atmosphere in the room shifted suddenly, a cold draft sweeping through the chamber. Javier’s tension spiked through our bond, his stance widening as he prepared for a threat. I knew without looking that Veris was returning.

Gavin released my hand and pushed himself upright, wavering only slightly before finding his balance. I rose alongside him, positioning myself between him and the door as it swung open.

Veris strode in, carrying a tiny lacquered box. His keen eyes assessed us, lingering on the fresh marks on my wrist, then on Gavin’s healing wounds and improved coloring.

“How touching,” Veris drawled, his smile lacking sentiment. “Feeding your pet already? I hope you’ve left enough for our ritual.” His gaze traveled over me with deliberate lewdness. “You’ll need your strength when we’re done.”

The suggestion in his tone made my skin crawl, but I kept my expression neutral as I extended my hand. “My mother’s remains.”

Veris placed the box in my palm with exaggerated care, his fingertips lingering against my skin a moment too long. “A lock of her hair,” he said, his voice softening with what might have been mistaken for genuine emotion if it had come from anyone else. “It was all I could salvage before the fire consumed her.”

The box felt impossibly heavy in my hand for something as light as hair. I curled my fingers around the box and held it against my chest, resisting the urge to open it immediately.

“And the queens?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

“Being brought to the ritual chamber as we speak,” Veris replied, his composure returning. “Along with our guest from the House of the Stars.” His eyes glittered with calculation. “Everything as agreed. Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your part of our bargain.”

I slipped the box into my pocket, feeling its weight against my hip like a hunk of lead. With one hand, I reached back for Gavin, who stepped forward on steadier legs than before. With my other hand, I reached for Javier, who moved to my side without taking his eyes off Veris.

I raised my chin and met Veris’s hard stare. “Lead the way.”

32

Theritualchambersprawledbeneath the earth like a forgotten cathedral to a dark faith. Massive stone columns soared upward, disappearing into shadows that even mycommunion-enhanced vision couldn’t penetrate. The ceiling remained hidden in that artificial night, giving the unsettling impression that the chamber opened directly to some void beyond our world.

Veins of manganese ore threaded through the walls like tarnished silver arteries, pulsing with subtle, sickly light that made my skin crawl. The shadow taint had spread through this place like a slow cancer, corrupting even the stone itself.

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