Mag-log inQuiet Before the StormSilas's POVThe heavy silver ring sits in my pocket now, but my palm still feels warm where Emery’s skin brushed mine last night.It is four in the morning. The sky outside the high sanctuary windows is a dull, bruised purple. Rain continues to drop off the eaves in slow, steady ticks.I sit on a low wooden bench near the fireplace, cleaning a pair of short silver-coated blades Matthias brought up from the hidden armory. My ribs ache with every deep breath. The raw skin around my wrists burns every time I flex my hands. My wolf is still low in my chest, weak from the silver poison, but my mind feels sharper than it has in weeks. The fog is gone.Across the room, Matthias lays out three small comm earpieces on the glass table. "These run on a tight local frequency. Cassius's men won't be able to jam them without knocking out their own security radios.""Good," I say, testing the balance of the second knife. The blade is light, weighted for quick throwing. "We nee
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: IMPORTANT!] Hi readers! A formatting mix-up occurred previously where Chapter 30 was uploaded into this slot by mistake. This chapter now contains the correct, actual Chapter 29. If you missed the events leading up to Chapter 30, please re-read this chapter! Apologies for the confusion and happy reading! The Eve of the Covenant Emery's POV The wards around the heavy oak door hum quietly against my skin. They feel like a faint static charge in the air, smooth and ancient. It is the only place in the entire fortress where Cassius and his private guards cannot set foot without explicit permission from the King. We slip inside under the thick shadow of the courtyard trees, moving fast while the perimeter lights swing past the high stone walls. The air inside Valerius's sanctuary smells of cedar. It is quiet. The thick stone walls block out the sound of the rain slamming against the roof tiles outside. Asa drops onto a velvet sofa, his left hand clutching his chest
Impeding DoomSilas's POVMy eyes burn like someone threw a handful of sand into them. The world tilts, spinning in slow circles every time I try to breathe.I look up from the wet concrete.Emery stands right above me. Her boots are splattered with mud, her coat torn at the elbow. In the dim light of the cavern, her amber eyes still hold a faint, silver glow. It is a weird contrast, the warm amber pulsing with the cool silver light. It is breathtaking. The light fades fast, melting back into her pupils, but I know what I saw. She looks cold, dangerous, and completely alive.A strange rush of relief washes over my chest, cutting right through the burning blaze in my lungs. She's okay. She survived the night.I try to speak, but my throat feels like it's full of crushed glass. "Emery," I manage to rasp out, my voice sounding weak and thin.There’s no leaning down or reaching out her hand to help me up, not that I’d expect her to. Her expression stays locked down tight, smooth and har
White-Hot FuryEmery's POVThe man holding the green blade doesn't even have time to blink.The moment the silver fire touches his sword, the metal vanishes into a puff, leaving black cinders floating to the floor. Vaporized into thin air. The poison paste burns away instantly with a sharp, sweet smell of ash. The pulse hits the three commanders full force, wrapping around their dark body armor in a blinding swirl of pure white heat. The flame eats through their rifles, their sidearms, and their sound-dampening plates, burning every piece of military gear to powder while leaving their skin and the stone floor completely untouched. The last part takes more control than I feel capable of at the moment, but it works.I am precise with it, my focus lethal and unparalled.The blast knocks all three men off their feet. They crash onto the concrete, gasping for breath, their eyes wide with terror as they stare up at me. Horrible blisters are already evident on their bodies.I let out a sharp
A Queen of FireEmery's POVThe hum from the weapons area vibrates straight up through the soles of my boots. The Vanguard fighters stand in formation below, the ones in human form have their arms folded, their eyes locked on the heavy iron doors at the far end of the hall.I pull a small round flash grenade I found in the armory from my belt. Asa takes one out, too. Alyssa slides her thumb over the safety pin of an incendiary charge device."When I drop," I whisper.“Remember, no killing. Only superficial wounds that they can heal from,” I look over at both of them, my gaze lingering on Alyssa, who promptly rolls her eyes while Asa throws me an eager smirk.“But if you see no other choice, do what you have to.” I send them a nod.I pull the pin with my teeth, counting two seconds in my head. I toss the small metal device over the edge of the vantage point. Asa and Alyssa drop theirs right behind mine.The three devices fall thirty feet through the air, bouncing once against the concr
A Failed EscapeSilas's POVThe ringing in my ears never really stops. It just changes pitch, humming like a broken wire inside my skull.My body feels like I have been run over by a truck and then tossed around like a ragdoll. My healing has slowed because of all the toxins they have injected me with, my body fighting to heal the various cuts and bruises and broken bones.I try to move around a little so that my muscles don’t lock in the position I’ve been in and I hear my joints pop and crack. My wolf is barely a whisper in the back of my consciousness, but I can feel his rage at being treated like this. Once we got out of here, there would be absolute hell to pay.I bid my time, waiting for the right moment to strike. I have to be careful, one wrong move at the wrong time might cost me everything.The heavy iron door swings open with a loud metallic groan.Noelle steps inside the cell by herself. She isn't carrying the loud acoustic box this time. Instead, she holds a long glass sy







