Page 57 of Gua rdian of Blood and Shadow

“Reiji?” I whispered, surprise catching in my throat. He was supposed to be spelled into unconsciousness, safe and secure inmydungeon. “What are you doing here?”

His dark eyes met mine again, and for a moment—so brief I might have imagined it—I thought I saw genuine regret flicker across his features before shielding his expression.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, Sophie. Truly.” He clasped his hands together before his chest. “If only you’d been more amenable… Well, we’d still end up here, but as allies, not as—” He gestured to me, then to himself. “This.”

“You’ve been working with him all along,” I said. The words tasted bitter.

A cold smile touched Reiji’s lips. “I’ve been working toward this moment for far longer than you realize.”

The silver shimmer at the edge of my vision grew stronger—my mother’s ghost fighting desperately against the suppression wards. I shook off my absolute confusion about Reiji’s role in all of this. Some things were more important, like figuring out what my mom was so desperately trying to tell me.

I straightened my spine, channeling every ounce of queenly authority I possessed. “Before we proceed, I require a private audience with the representative of the House of the Stars.” My voice rang with unexpected power, silver light pulsing beneath my skin.

Veris’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

“As you yourself claimed, the ritual to appeal to Selene and to Eos to break the curse requires a representative of the House of the Moon and the House of the Stars to work together in perfect unity. If I’m going to bind Reiji to guarantee unity, then I’d like to do so in private. The binding ritual is quite intimate,” I said, hiding the lie behind the truth.

Gavin tensed beside me at the mention of binding someone I clearly didn’t like, but I felt his understanding through our bond. He knew I was planning something.

Veris seemed to consider my request, his distrustful gaze flicking between Reiji and me. Finally, he inclined his head. “As you wish,Your Majesty.” The mockery in his tone couldn’t quite mask his curiosity. “There’s an antechamber through there.” He gestured to a small archway set into the far wall. “We’ll await your…completion.”

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Imovedtowardthearchway,Gavin a shadow behind me, and glanced back at Reiji, inviting him to follow with a nod of my head. The elemental’s expression betrayed nothing as he crossed the chamber, but tension radiated from him like heat from an impending supernova.

The antechamber was small but ornate, dominated by an altar carved from the same stone as the chamber beyond. Ancient symbols were etched into its surface, and the walls bore faded murals depicting what appeared to be shifter mythology—Helios bestowing his gifts upon the first of their kind.

As soon as the door closed behind us, Reiji’s careful mask slipped. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said hurriedly, “but you’re wrong. I’m not an agent of the Shadow King.”

Gavin positioned himself between us, his body straining with protective tension. “Then explain,” he said, his voice deadly soft. “Quickly.”

“It was a ploy,” Reiji rushed to say, raising his hands defensively. “Illusion magic to trick Sophie into coming here.”

I stepped around Gavin, my eyes never leaving Reiji’s face. “Ren,” I said simply. “What have you done with your sister?” She had been her brother’s captor, and I feared what it meant for her that he was here.

Something like genuine pain flickered across Reiji’s features. “She’s safely contained in my cozy cell at the Moon Sanctuary—under a disguise illusion that makes her look like me.” He flashed us a weak smile and held out his arms like he was saying,what can I say?“Illusion is my specialty.”

“No shit,” I breathed.

“She’s fine,” Reiji added. “I would never hurt her…permanently. She’s my sister. I love her. She’s part of why I’m doing this. She hates politicking, and she lives under a constant barrage of death threats from lower elementals. Our people aren’t like your vampires. Elementals don’t blindly follow; they plot and scheme and seek power.” His shoulders slumped. “She doesn’twantto be High Priestess.” The words sounded sincere, but I’d learned not to trust surface impressions.

“I didn’t want to be High Queen, yet here I am,” I snapped. “We step up, filling the roles as required, whether we like it or not.” I gritted my teeth and drew in a deep breath, attempting to cool my outrage. “Did Renaskyou to help her shirk her duty, or did you so generously take that upon yourself?”

Reiji paced the small space, running a hand through his dark hair. “You don’t understand the larger picture,” he said, frustration evident in the tightness of his jaw. So,no, she didn’t ask him for help. At least I knew Ren wasn’t complicit, as much a victim of her brother’s manipulation as me. More, even, considering their close relationship. “For millennia, the Houses have been at war,” Reiji explained. “This endless cycle of fighting and false reconciliation, while the real threat grows stronger beyond the veil.”

“And your solution to prepare for war with the Shadow King is to betray your sister and to ally with Veris?” I challenged. “A shifter king who nearly destroyed the House of the Moon and keeps vampire queens imprisoned for shits and giggles?” I scoffed. “That’sthe guy you threw your lot in with to promote unity among the Houses?”

“We have an arrangement,” Reiji said, his voice rising as he grew defensive. “I help him reclaim the shifters’ rightful strength by breaking the curse, and in return—”

“He helps you become the first High Priest of the House of the Stars,” I finished for him, remembering his earlier boasts to Ren. “A new era where the Houses work in harmony under your guidance.”

Reiji nodded, a flicker of ambition burning in his eyes. “Precisely. No more petty conflicts, no more divided loyalties.”

“I suppose being bound to the High Queen of the House of the Moon is integral to your plot. Like once you were my consort, the vampires would magically fall in line?” I laughed, the sound harsh and ugly and stepped closer to him. “What do you think your magic dick can do that my guys don’t already do for me? What makes you so exceptional?” I sniffed, my gaze moving down his body and back up. “Nothing other than your exceptional lack of scruples. Manipulation and emotional abuse. Lies.Illusion. That’s what you’re good at, right? Your own words…”

The color had drained from his face as I spoke, and he swallowed roughly but said nothing. His first wise move since we met. I studied his face, his eyes, searching for the truth beneath his carefully constructed reality. “My mom’s ghost is here. She’s trying desperately to manifest, but the suppression wards are too strong.”

I stepped closer, tilting my head back to maintain eye contact, my voice softening. “What do you think she’s trying to tell me, Reiji? Andwhyare the suppression wards so strong here? Veris should have no reason to fear invisible spies. Ghosts aren’t free roaming. They’re anchored. Like my mom, who’s anchored here.” I pulled the small enameled box out of my pocket and held it up on my open palm. “Because Veris kept a piece of her before he burned her remains and scattered her ashes.”

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