Page 208 of Without a Trace
Trace’s tattoo lit faintly beneath his collar. The air between us tensed—energy rising, heat stirring. I could feel his focus on me. Not Lena. Me.
She noticed.
“You were born second,” she said. “That’s what makes this so cruel. I came first. Months before you. I was the obvious choice.”
My heart stilled.
“I’m the Leo,” she added, a bitter smirk curling at the corner of her mouth. “Born to rule. You always laughed at that, remember?”
My breath caught. We had joked about star signs growing up. Leo and Scorpio. Fire and water. Rule and ruin.
“You used to say I was dramatic,” she whispered. “And you? You were born to burn.”
She wanted it to hurt.
It did.
But not in the way she expected.
Because something had changed.
Inside me. Around me.
Thirelin stirred—not like a house, but like a god waking up. The floor moved beneath my feet. The air thickened, heavy with judgment. Old judgment. The kind that remembered bloodlines and promises and names not spoken in centuries.
The manor was no longer silent.
It was listening.
It was choosing.
And I could feel it… choosing me.
I stepped forward. No hesitation. No fear.
“You weren’t chosen.” My voice stayed steady. “Because fate doesn’t play favorites. It picks who it needs.”
Magic buzzed behind my ribs.
“I didn’t take this from you, Lena. You were never meant to hold it.”
She shook her head once—too fast. “You’re wrong. You always were.”
Brielle’s voice cut in from behind her, smooth and venomous. “She’s not wrong. She’s bonded, and you’re not. That’s the end of it.”
Lena turned sharply. “Don’t speak like you’re not the one who promised me this crown.”
Brielle smirked, stepping forward slowly. “I promised you a shot. But the manor’s already chosen its heir. The Codex doesn’t bend to jealousy.”
I stared at them both, my pulse roaring.
“You used me,” I said. “The bond. The Veil. Our childhood. You sold me for a throne that was never yours.”
Zeke shifted first—his stance widening, weapons still holstered but his eyes burning.
Kane’s laugh broke the silence like a spark to dry brush. Low, disbelieving. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he muttered, stepping forward, hands braced on his hips like he was trying not to tear the whole place apart.
“You used all of us,” Rhett said, voice sharp. “Fed them the coordinates from Scarlett’s phone. Watched us train her, protect her—”
