Chapter 19

“At last... I have found you.”

The voice echoed through the chamber.

Celine couldn't move.

It wasn't loud, yet it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

From the walls.

From the floor.

From inside her own mind.

Damon immediately stepped in front of her.

“Stay behind me.”

The black mark beneath Celine's feet widened.

A thin crack raced across the stone floor, stopping only inches from Damon's boots.

The guardian's roar thundered through the sanctuary above.

Celine's mother grabbed her arm.

“Celine, don't answer it.”

Celine stared at the darkness beneath the crack.

“Who is that?”

Her mother shook her head.

“I don't know.”

Lucien's expression hardened.

“You do.”

Everyone looked at him.

Celine's eyes narrowed.

“You know who it is.”

Lucien remained silent.

Damon stepped toward him.

“Tell us.”

Lucien looked at the black mark.

“I thought the seal would hold longer.”

Celine's mother suddenly released Celine's arm.

“Lucien.”

He turned toward her.

“You knew this would happen?”

“I knew there was a possibility.”

“You brought her here.”

“No,” Lucien replied. “Her blood brought her here.”

Celine stepped forward.

“Stop talking about me like I'm not standing here.”

The chamber fell silent.

Celine looked from her mother to Lucien.

“I want the truth. All of it.”

Her mother swallowed.

Then she nodded.

“You deserve it.”

Another tremor shook the chamber.

The voice beneath them laughed softly.

“Truth...”

The single word sent a chill through Celine.

“Truth is what destroyed the first world.”

Damon's eyes narrowed.

“Show yourself.”

The voice answered.

“Not yet, Black Moon.”

Damon froze.

Celine looked at him.

“How does it know you?”

Damon's hand slowly moved toward the black crescent mark near his collarbone.

“I don't know.”

The voice laughed again.

“You know exactly who you are.”

Damon's face hardened.

“I know what I was told.”

“And that is why you remain blind.”

The floor suddenly erupted with black smoke.

Damon grabbed Celine and pulled her backward.

Her mother raised both hands.

A silver barrier appeared between them and the smoke.

The darkness slammed against it.

The barrier trembled.

“Mom!”

“Stay behind me!”

Celine looked at the silver light.

Her mother's hands were shaking.

She was struggling to hold it.

Lucien stepped beside her and raised his own hand.

Silver light joined hers.

Together, they strengthened the barrier.

Damon stared at Lucien.

“You can use Moonborn magic.”

Lucien didn't look at him.

“I learned from her.”

Celine's mother frowned.

“You learned enough to become dangerous.”

Lucien's jaw tightened.

“That is not what happened.”

“Then tell her what happened.”

Lucien looked at Celine.

“When your mother was still a guardian, she discovered that the ancient war had been misunderstood.”

Celine listened carefully.

“The Moonborn and Black Moon were never enemies?”

“No.”

Damon answered before Lucien could.

“They were protectors.”

Lucien nodded.

“They were created to stand together against the Devourer.”

Celine glanced at the painting.

The enormous shadow seemed almost alive in the dim light.

“What was it?”

Lucien's expression darkened.

“No one knows what it truly was.”

“Then how did they fight it?”

“They didn't.”

Celine frowned.

“What?”

Lucien looked toward her.

“The first Moonborn discovered that the Devourer could not be destroyed.”

The black smoke struck the barrier again.

Her mother's knees nearly buckled.

Lucien continued.

“So they sealed it.”

Celine stared at the floor.

“Where?”

Nobody answered.

Her heart sank.

“You sealed it here?”

Lucien's silence was enough.

Celine took a step backward.

“This sanctuary?”

Her mother shook her head.

“Not beneath the sanctuary itself.”

“Then where?”

Her mother looked at the cracked floor.

“Beneath the Moon Temple.”

Celine's blood ran cold.

“But this is the Moon Temple.”

“No,” Lucien said quietly.

“This sanctuary is only the entrance.”

Another tremor shook the chamber.

Damon looked around.

“Then what's beneath us?”

Lucien answered.

“The prison.”

The word seemed to freeze the entire room.

Celine looked at her pendant.

“So my mother brought me here because—”

“Because the seal recognized you,” Lucien said.

“And the thing beneath us recognized me too.”

“Yes.”

Celine's stomach tightened.

“Why?”

Lucien looked directly into her eyes.

“Because the seal was created using Moonborn blood.”

Celine stepped backward.

“And now my blood is waking it.”

“No.”

Her mother moved toward her.

“Not waking it.”

She pointed toward the glowing pendant.

“Calling it.”

Celine stared at her.

“What's the difference?”

Her mother's voice broke.

“If it wakes completely, it will know exactly where you are.”

A low growl came from beneath the floor.

Then the voice returned.

“Little Moonborn...”

Celine's body went cold.

Nobody had ever called her that except her mother.

The voice continued.

“Your mother hid you well.”

Celine looked at her mother.

Her mother went pale.

“You know my mother?”

The darkness answered.

“I knew her mother.”

Celine's eyes widened.

“My grandmother?”

“Yes.”

The voice seemed almost amused.

“She was the one who sealed me.”

Celine stared at the floor.

Her grandmother.

The first Moonborn guardian.

The woman whose death had been hidden from her.

“You killed her?”

“No.”

The voice became quieter.

“She sacrificed herself.”

Celine's mother closed her eyes.

Tears appeared.

Celine turned toward her.

“You knew.”

Her mother opened her eyes.

“I knew how she died.”

“You told me she was murdered.”

“She was.”

“By whom?”

Her mother hesitated.

“The people who feared what she protected.”

Celine's voice shook.

“Who?”

“Those who wanted the prison opened.”

Damon stepped closer.

“Lucien.”

Lucien looked at him.

“Not me.”

Damon's expression hardened.

“You've been involved in this from the beginning.”

“Yes.”

“And you expect us to believe you aren't responsible?”

“I don't expect you to believe anything.”

Lucien's gaze shifted to Celine.

“I expect her to survive long enough to discover the truth herself.”

Celine shook her head.

“Enough riddles.”

She stepped toward the crack.

Damon caught her wrist.

“Celine.”

She looked at him.

“I need to know.”

“You don't know what's down there.”

“Neither does anyone else.”

“That doesn't mean you should walk into it.”

Celine looked at the darkness.

Something inside her pulled toward it.

Not fear.

Recognition.

Her wolf stirred.

It knows us.

Celine closed her eyes.

“What does my wolf know?”

Damon stared at her.

“What?”

“She says it knows us.”

Her mother gasped.

Lucien's expression changed.

“Your wolf is speaking clearly now?”

“Not all the time.”

Lucien took a step toward her.

“Then the seal is almost broken.”

Celine opened her eyes.

“Can you help me control it?”

Lucien hesitated.

“Yes.”

Damon immediately said, “No.”

Celine looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because he controlled me once.”

Lucien's expression remained cold.

“I never controlled your wolf.”

“You controlled me.”

“I gave you discipline.”

“You gave me chains.”

The tension between them filled the chamber.

Celine stepped between them.

“Both of you stop.”

The black smoke suddenly vanished.

The silver barrier disappeared with it.

Silence returned.

Damon looked around.

“What happened?”

Lucien's eyes were fixed on Celine.

“She made it stop.”

Celine looked at her hands.

“I didn't do anything.”

“You did,” Lucien said.

“You spoke to it.”

Celine's heart pounded.

“I didn't say anything.”

“You didn't need to.”

The voice came again.

This time it was clearer.

“Come to me.”

Celine's feet moved.

One step.

Then another.

Damon grabbed her shoulders.

“Celine!”

She blinked.

The pull disappeared.

She looked at him, confused.

“I wasn't controlling myself.”

“I know.”

Her mother hurried toward her.

“That's why we have to leave.”

Celine looked at the crack.

“No.”

Her mother stopped.

“Celine.”

“If I leave, it will keep calling me.”

“That doesn't mean you answer.”

“But it means it knows I'm afraid.”

Her mother stared at her.

Celine slowly shook her head.

“I've spent eighteen years being afraid of things I didn't understand.”

She looked at the pendant.

“I won't keep running.”

Damon watched her silently.

Then he nodded.

“Then we don't run.”

Her mother looked at him.

“You don't understand what you're saying.”

“Maybe not.”

Damon looked at Celine.

“But I know what happens when someone faces something alone.”

Celine met his eyes.

“I won't let you face it alone.”

A strange warmth passed through her chest.

Her wolf became still.

For the first time, she didn't feel like she was fighting it.

She felt as if it was listening.

The silver crescent on her pendant suddenly separated.

A hidden compartment opened beneath it.

Something tiny fell into Celine's palm.

A ring.

Silver.

With the same crescent symbol.

Her mother stared at it.

“I've never seen that.”

Lucien's expression changed.

“That belonged to your grandmother.”

Celine looked at him.

“How do you know?”

“Because she gave it to me.”

Everyone froze.

Celine's mother stepped forward.

“You had her ring?”

Lucien shook his head.

“She gave it to me before she died.”

“Why?”

Lucien looked at Celine.

“To remind me what I was supposed to protect.”

Celine stared at him.

“You failed.”

Lucien accepted the accusation without protest.

“Yes.”

For once, there was no defense in his voice.

Just regret.

Celine closed her fingers around the ring.

A sudden flash of light filled the chamber.

She saw her grandmother.

Older.

Standing inside this same chamber.

Beside her stood Lucien.

A younger Damon was there too.

Celine gasped.

Damon's eyes widened.

“You saw something.”

Celine nodded.

“You were here.”

Damon looked stunned.

“How?”

“I don't know.”

The vision continued.

Her grandmother held the silver ring.

She placed it into Lucien's hand.

Then she looked toward a young Damon.

Her lips moved.

Celine couldn't hear the words.

But she could read them.

Protect her.

The vision disappeared.

Damon stared at Celine.

“She told me to protect someone?”

Celine nodded.

“You.”

Damon looked confused.

“No.”

Celine frowned.

The vision had shown Damon.

But there was something else.

She had seen her grandmother looking past him.

Toward something hidden.

Something she was afraid of.

Celine suddenly understood.

“She wasn't telling you to protect me.”

Damon looked at her.

“She was telling you to protect the one who would come after me.”

Silence.

Lucien's face changed.

“What?”

Celine looked toward the floor.

“The next Moonborn.”

Her mother's breath caught.

“But there hasn't been another Moonborn.”

Celine slowly shook her head.

“No.”

She stared at the black crack.

“There hasn't been another one yet.”

The sanctuary shook violently.

A deep roar exploded beneath them.

The stone door behind them slammed shut.

And from below came a sound that was no longer a whisper.

It was a howl.

A howl that answered Celine's wolf.

Her wolf lifted its head inside her.

And for the first time, Celine heard it speak clearly.

It is awake.