LOGINRin POVA high-velocity sniper round shattered the glass conduit three inches above my head. I ducked behind the iron mainframe console, clutching my medical kit against my ribs. Sparks showered down onto my shoulders, smelling of burnt oil and ozone.“Julian!” I screamed, my voice cracking over the blaring siren. “The secondary sniper is on the high catwalk!”Julian didn’t hesitate. He stepped out from behind his shield wall, raising his star-metal pistol to take aim.A sharp, wet impact cracked through the room.Julian’s body jerked sideways. Blood sprayed across his white collar as the heavy dark-matter bullet tore through his shoulder plate, dropping him flat onto his back on the steel floorboards.“Julian!” I shrieked, dropping my tactical frying pan as I scrambled across the open floor on my knees.I grabbed Julian’s coat collar and dragged his heavy body behind the main generator housing. Tracer fire cut through the smoke above us, ricocheting off the iron frame in a shower of
Kael POVThe gold mark on my neck burned hot against the pillow. I opened my eyes to the grey morning light filtering through the steel window slits of the security quarters. Morning rain tapped a fast rhythm against the glass.Lucien was already awake. He sat on the edge of the mattress, his broad bare back facing me, long fingers slowly wrapping black leather straps around his forearms.He turned his head as I shifted on the bed. His red eyes locked onto the fresh gold mark on my collarbone, glowing brightly under my collar.“How does it feel?” Lucien asked softly.I reached up, fingers brushing the warm gold skin. Through our permanent bond, his cold cedar aura filled my chest, steady and calm.“It feels like I belong here,” I said, swinging my boots off the bed. “And it feels like we have a war to win.”Lucien stood up and handed me a folded stack of clean gear from the table. “Julian brought your armor.”I looked down at the pile. Beneath the lightweight silver-plated chest guard
Kael POVThe four orbital shells exploded in mid-air above the spire and turned to harmless white ice from the last surge of the Sanguine Eclipse. Quiet fell over the glass dome. Inquisitor Vane lay unconscious near the broken console, bound in iron chains by Julian and Mara. The secondary fleet was gone, retreating into the dark storm clouds as the blood moon slowly faded into normal night.I leaned back against the stone wall of the private security room. My boots slid on the floorboards.Lucien kicked the heavy steel door shut and threw the bolt with a sharp metallic clatter. He turned around. His broad shadow filled the small space. His dark broadsword rested against the wooden table, but his crimson eyes stayed locked on my face.“Julian has the upper bridge secured,” Lucien said, voice low and rough. “There will be no more attacks tonight.”I unzipped my velvet coat and let the heavy fabric drop onto the wooden chair beside the bed. “And Vane?”“Locked in the lower cell under Ju
Kael POVA bright red beam shot down from the sky and cut through the glass dome of the Apex bridge. The glass shattered into a thousand glowing pieces. Four hundred feet below in the Sump, the main street turned crimson as the orbital laser painted the old brick buildings red.Vane stood behind the central console with his hand jammed into the iron override socket.“Look at it!” Vane rasped. His white robes blew in the cold wind pouring through the broken dome. “The Sanguine Eclipse feeds the primary core! In thirty seconds, Sector Four turns to ash!”I raised Julian’s light pistol and aimed straight for Vane’s head. “Drop the key, Vane!”“Shoot me, Kael!” Vane laughed. His thin lips pulled into a mad grin. “My heart monitor is wired to the firing sequence! If my pulse stops, the beam fires instantly!”My finger froze on the trigger.***Lucien stepped in front of me. His broadsword swept through the air and blocked a stray energy arc from the wall.“Julian,” Lucien growled, voice lo
Lucien POVA sharp metallic horn screamed through the spire’s air vents. The iron door frame shook against my back. Outside the narrow window, the dark storm clouds above Apex Tower split open. A giant blood-red moon cut across the morning sky.I stood from the wooden bench. My hand dropped straight to the hilt of my broadsword. A sick, cold rush hit my blood. The dark plasma flame on my blade flickered hard and dropped to half strength in one second. The cold cedar scent in my lungs felt distant and heavy.Kael sat up on the edge of the mattress. His dark hood fell back. The silver mark on his collarbone lit up with blinding white light. Pure Omega energy surged through his skin and pushed against the stone walls.“Lucien?” Kael asked. His silver-ringed eyes burned bright. “Your aura just dropped.”“The sky,” I growled, and pointed my blade at the glass.***Julian threw open the heavy steel door. He held his diagnostic pad with both hands. His face was pale. His rimless glasses caug
Kael POVThe iron door of the security room clicked shut, blocking out the cold wind in the spire corridor. I sat back on the edge of the mattress, resting my boots on the floorboards. My velvet coat hung loose over my shoulders, exposing the open collar of my silk shirt and the pale silver mark burning beneath my skin.Lucien stood in the center of the room. His broadsword rested in its sheath against the wooden table, but his shoulders stayed rigid as stone. His crimson eyes stared at my face through the dim yellow light of the lantern.“You thought I would lock you in a cellar,” Lucien said. His rough voice was quiet, lacking its usual harsh edge.“You would have,” I replied, pulling my knees up toward my chest. “You almost threw Rin out the window three hours ago when my blood pressure dropped.”Lucien did not answer right away. He took two slow steps toward the bed, his boots making no sound against the floorboards.“I was terrified, Kael,” Lucien growled softly, stopping right a







