sanctuary was sha

overnight. The heavy, suffocating pressure of the "Moon-Heat" was gone, replaced by a strange, hummi

la

al the faint, glowing violet-and-gold mark at the base of my neck. I

el me now,

een of sweat, his muscles taut as if he were bracing for a blow. He didn't have to turn around for

rt. It swallowed me, smelling of him and the chaos of last night. "And I can

the full moon. Arthur's 'execution' failed, but his words didn't. He told t

I asked, walking toward

uch sent a jolt of pure, cooling calm through my system. "They see you as a freak of nature. A human who can drain an

t it

elease the energy into you again. If you can't hold it, the

? You mea

ring in his eyes. "But if I defy the Council openly, the Silver Moon will sp

el the power sitting just behind my ribs, dormant and heavy. I wasn

e spent four years passing exams that were designed to break me. If

fierce syncopation. "It's not an exam, Elena. It's a physical assault. The p

f we're going to a fight, I don't want to go unarmed. Te

f terror and pride swirling in his gaze.

d. "Now, show me ho

his heat anchoring me. He didn't speak; he simply gr

g to see the power with your brain. Feel it.

y own shallow breathing. Then, I felt the vibration. It started in his palms and traveled up my arms like a slow

ered, my knees trembling as the voltage incr

st my temple. "Don't hold it. Become the conduit. Let it flow through you and into the floor. Y

m go slack. I imagined the silver light moving down my spine,

ssure v

e room was glowing. Not with the morning sun, but with the sheer radiance of the bond. Silas looke

Elena... you're doing more than just

smile spreading across my face. "I don

and my soul. But the moment was shattered by a sharp, urgent chime from the

," he

il is at the gates. They're not waiting for the Assembly. Beatrix is with them,

t painful. He looked at the door, then back at me, a

to reach for the navy suit I'd discarded the night before. I didn't need

r, he stepped in, helping me slide it over my shoulders. His fingers lingered on th

"I need you to run to the sub-level.

like a Senior Secretary again, but the violet light in my eyes told a different story. "I've dea

e last, bruising kiss that t

ped. "Let's go show them why

k with the scent of ozone and ancient, predatory musk. The judgmen

or is the ultimate test of Elena's strength. Rea