Page 55 of A Reign of Malice
Clara’s still with Noen when we head back to the castle, but Asher and Isla meet up with us, their expressions a mixture of apology and quiet urgency. Neither of them needs to say a word. Especially since I’ve asked all of them to stand at the center of my chaos, to stand between me and whatever fate I’ve dragged us into.
The five of us pass through the castle gates, and the instant my foot crosses the threshold, my pulse stumbles.
The air feels wrong.
There’s a weight pressing down, thick and cloying, and I know without a doubt something has changed. My palm lands against the castle’s front door handle, but instead of cool metal, it’s warm. Unnaturally warm and not from the sun. It’s something deeper, more deceptive.
I glance over my shoulder at the others, dread curling inside me like smoke. “This isn’t right.”
Asher closes his blue eyes, inhaling deeply. His brow furrows, tension pulling at the corners of his mouth. “It’s Aurora,” he says grimly. “Her energy is everywhere.”
My stomach clenches, nausea threatening to overtake me. This is what we asked for. Help. Intervention. But the reality of it is so much heavier than I expected. My subconscious knew there were no guarantees when dealing with a goddess, especially one like Aurora, but the frantic part of me, the part terrified for Julian’s life, hadn’t allowed me to imagine this sort of scenario.
The moment we step inside, the silence is suffocating.
No clinking of dishes from the kitchen. No murmur of staff moving through the halls. No distant hum of conversations or footsteps echoing through the stone corridors.
Nothing.
The castle feels hollow, like the very breath has been sucked from its lungs. The air is thick with magic, the kind that prickles against my skin, seeping into my bones like cold water.
“Where is everyone?” Isla’s voice is hushed, barely more than a whisper.
No one answers. None of us know.
I take a step forward, every nerve in my body on edge, my wolf pacing just beneath my skin. Each step feels heavier than the last, the burden of uncertainty dragging me down.
The deeper we go, the worse the sensation gets. It’s not just the emptiness. It’s the sense that we’re being watched. Not by human eyes, but by the castle itself. The walls hum with faint energy, something ancient and predatory. Like the whole structure has become a living thing, bending to Aurora’s will.
Except this isn’t the first time since arriving at this castle that I’ve felt this way.
When I found the runes outside, it was similar. Maybethis isn’t Aurora. Maybe this is Aeson, and he’s doing something to the magic long ago set into these stones.
Once again, my mind tells me I need to get Julian. I’m not waiting a second longer.
Asher and Theo reach for me at the same time. “We’re not going to try to stop you,” Asher says, “but we’ve dealt with Aurora before. At least let us lead.”
I can’t argue with them, mostly because I know if anything happens to me, if I do the wrong thing, there’s a chance I won’t ever see Julian again.
“We need to go down this hallway, toward the southeast section, and head toward the lower levels,” I tell them, gesturing for them to go ahead.
Theo glances back at his mate then at me, his hand hovering near the hilt of the dagger at his waist. “Stay close.”
That isn’t going to be a problem.
Estee and Isla flank me, their presence a small anchor in the storm raging inside me. The five of us proceed with caution, but there’s an urgency crackling in the air, a shared sense of impending disaster. Each step down the narrow stone staircase feels heavier than the last.
By the time we reach the lower levels, sweat beads along the back of my neck despite the cool dampness of the air. The castle breathes around us, thick with ancient power, and every nerve in my body is screaming that we’re running out of time.
I continue guiding Asher and Theo, my senses tuned to the smallest flicker of magic or sign of life. The hallway stretches out before us, the narrow space leading to the painting, to the door hiding my mate.
I can’t wait.
I shove between the two men and sprint forward, my heart slamming against my ribs, blood roaring in my ears. Iknow better than to rush headlong into unknown magic, but reason has no hold on me now, not when I can feel him. Not when my soul is clawing at my insides, desperate to reach him.
But when I round the last corner, I hit something invisible. Hard.
I slam into an unseen barrier, a wall of steel wrapped in pure, vibrating energy. I stagger back, my palms still pressed against it as the force vibrates up my arms like an electrical current trying to peel my skin away from the bone.
