something much more sinister. The weight of the fallen bookshelf pinned me to the freezing stone floor. My left shoulder screamed with w

apped in

so dense I couldn't see my own hand. Then, I heard it. A wet, rhythmic slithering sou

et, my fingers trembling as they closed around the siren tear Marina had give

but my voice was

s popped, and the silence that followed was so heavy it felt like lead. A low,

room itself, detaching from the wall like spilled oil. It had no face, no eyes, yet I felt it

umping from my fingertips. I didn't know how I did it, or

on gate at the end of

f power that shook the very foundations of the library. The liquid shadow let out a high-pitched

weren't hesitant. They were the st

la

narl, vibrating with a d

d groaned and splintered. With a display of strength that shouldn't have been possible, Kael

iolent ozone washed over me, drowning out the smell of rot. I ga

my waist with a force that bordered on bruising. He pulled me flush against his mas

bond we

us, making my vision blur. I could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, every bit as

hed and ragged. I felt the sharp graze of his teeth against

ing against my throat. "You were s

e fabric of his obsidian shirt. I was dizzy, the pain in my s

eeding a brilliant, liquid gold. The wolf was right at the surface, wild and uncontrollable.

beside my head, the wood cracking under his p

al whisper. "I sent you here so you would see the teeth of this world an

ling but defiant. I stepped into his personal space, my chest brushing his.

etween us snapped taut, demanding he lean down and ruin me. His gaze dropp

ura, heavy and suffocating, begging me to submit. But I didn't. I til

cond, I saw the mask fall, revealing a m

tly shoved hims

nto a frozen lake. He turned his back to me, his broa

now a flat, dead stone. "Drop out of North

id, my voi

inal, desperate warning. He stepped toward m

are a distraction I cannot afford. If you are not gone by sun

his lips inche

he one who d

choing against the stone. The iron gate slammed shut with a

hand over my racing heart. He want

victim. I felt a surge of cold, stubborn power. He thought he could s

a cornered queen was the mos

or's

a breaking point! Do you think Kael is actually dangerous, or is he just terrified of the mate bond? And what was that golden spark from Elara's