TER

ius'

from inside," I s

ody tense. "This

ess beneath my skin. If there was even a chance my sister was ins

. The roof sagged inward. We moved in the shadows, slipping through broken doors like phantoms. Inside,

se, senses sharpened to a blade's edge. The my sister'

I hea

ked s

floorboards. At the far end, a door hung

burned, casting a sickly

wo

wasn't

ins bound to her wrists, and her chest rose in shallow, unev

pped to a knee, keeping my voice s

ease," she whispered, "don't le

orward and broke the chains a

ed, trembling. "They...

ers," Magnu

ged in m

ey take them?

ay something about a shipment le

gave us hou

Then we d

d. "We get h

o her. "Ca

agnus slipped an arm under her shoulde

as alread

hat shipment, I wasn't

o end whoever

s edge. She downed water with shaking hands, fl

our name?

la

Did you see a girl with lo

w someone like that. She was differen

art k

he

alled her... a rare breed. Royal blood. Said she wa

on darkened. "The

his wasn't random. Som

g else?"

mentioned a name. V

He sells to the wealthiest Alphas, monsters who p

eed to hea

t she w

meant someone p

here Varcen

thin smile. "A

my sleeve. "You'll

"No," I said.

n beneath the city's ruins, buri

it by n

ncealed the entrance. Two gu

hem gold coins

show," on

snapped

lked

oulders, silver-trimmed cuffs at our wrists. Ma

ren. Barely clothed. Eyes hollow, or too angry t

proached

e," he said. "Young. Long dark h

d. "Can't say

orward. "Yo

Ask Varcen. He handle

re i

stalls. Ir

mov

ked the doors. Magnu

tepped

revealing a chamber far rem

e. A chandelier gleamed above

Oily skin and a scar slicing

wine lik

awled, setting

eal in exclusiv

wants something exclusi

're not here to haggle

ed. "Information

wasting

ved

to his desk. The goblet fell and shattere

I growled. "Black hair. G

my arm. Magnus quietly l

ake," he stammered. "Yo

m again. The

k, or I'll rip it

r turne

e an offer before she ever reached the auction.

like a punch

tha

se it w

soul left. A warlord wh

had

t bare th

and buried it i

ped. T

lose. "Rot

wisted t

his blood a

body, wiping the blade c

back and slid it

steady. My w

nd slipped through th

et clung to my clothes

ear was the e

tha

was running