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But then I caught his glare before he turned to his mother. He hadn’t caught my eye in solidarity. There was no rush of love in the bond. Nothing.

His presence remained in my chest, but I couldn’t understand the shape of it. I couldn’t sense his regret, or reassurance. I could barely sense him at all. For a moment, I felt like I hurtled through that void again, tumbling toward death. But the memories swam back.

…I won’t waver—no matter what, I’ll prioritize your safety over my own, even if it doesn’t look like that’s what I’m doing. You have to remember that. Trust me. So if I seem frightening… if what I do or say is frightening, remember this conversation. I won’t have changed. My goal remains the same: to keep you safe. To defeat these bastards. And to free all of us from them…

I took a breath and reached for Koa instead, who chittered in my head and wrapped me in the wings of her love.

‘Firebird, your heart patters.’ My dragon was a worried mother.

‘I can’t seem to calm. I just need time.’

“You can retreat to your web, Mother. Everything is under control,” Voski drawled.

“So I see.”

He swelled until I thought he might strike her. But she never retreated. His back was to me, but I knew that posture. He glowered at her. And she glared back, even when he stepped right up to her toes and leaned down.

“This is almost over, Mother. Prepare yourself.” His voice was deep. And cold as a winter lake.

She tipped her head and one side of her mouth curled up as if he’d amused her. “What, precisely—”

“I will win Grace in the challenge—without fail. And when I finally have my Pair, I’ll also take Dominus. Either by your choice, or by your death. You decide which it will be.”

“Oh, Vane, always full of threats, just like your father. I told you—”

He clamped a hand at her throat and squeezed. She stumbled back, but he moved with her.

I gasped and pushed to my feet, tripping, stumbling, to get to his back, screaming at him through the bond—he couldn’t kill her now! Not like this. Not in cold blood. He was already dark! That would finish him. I knew it in my bones.

‘Koa! Tell Kham! He’s—’

Voski released her throat and she gave a desperate, wheezing inhale, but he hadn’t cut off her air long enough for her to be truly deprived, so she merely wheezed and rubbed at her throat, watching him warily.

“You’re losing your grip,” she rasped, though I caught the flutter of her fingers trembling as she rubbed the reddened skin.

“Get out of this room. Get out of my presence. And do not enter it again until you’re handing me the mark. Or we’ll see just who has lost their grip.”

Then he clamped a hand to her elbow and dragged her toward the door. She squawked, but when he opened it, she snapped to poise—because there were servants outside.

He pushed her through, but she trotted ahead of him to cover for his shove, smiling and keeping her chin high as she breezed past the servants without a word.

They looked at her, then at Voski. He began to instruct them as if he paid their wages.

“Lead us to the chamber of honor—the same wing in which Breckon is housed.”

And they listened. After that display outside, I supposed they were terrified of him. He’d called up dragons, and disappeared both of us with magik? I swallowed hard and mentally skittered away from that thought.

When one of the guards saluted, he turned to me. The hesitation was barely perceptible—a sliver of time in which he braced himself, but then he grimaced and snapped his fingers at me. “Come. Now.”

I still trembled, but at least I kept my feet this time. Nodding, I hurried to him, dropping my chin and keeping my eyes on the floor until I was at his side and he offered his arm in a sharp, irritated gesture.

Nervously, I curled my hand into the crook of it, then let him lead me out. But I shook for the entire, silent walk through the castle.

When the servants ushered us into a chamber just two cross-corridors away from my rooms with Breckon, I shivered. The room was an almost identical layout, though the colors were different, thank God.

Voski swept us in, took one turn to survey the rooms, then nodded his head. “This will do. Now leave us. We’re not to be disturbed for the rest of the night. We’ll be preparing for the hunt.”

That word hit my chest like a blow. My breath caught and he noticed, frowning at me until the door closed behind the last of the servants.