LOGINCAOMH'S POV
I walked slowly down the long, brightly lit corridor of the west wing, my boots making no sound against the thick carpet. Ahead of me, Bronson Riordan was stumbling backward, dragging a screaming, terrified five-year-old girl by her fragile arm.
"Stay back, Colson!" Bronson yelled, his voice cracking with a manic, unhinged pitch. He held the jagged silver knife directly against Esme’s pale neck. A thin, angry red burn mark was
MEGHANN'S POVThe bitter northern wind whipped viciously across the frozen gorge, tearing at the heavy canvas of the military tents.I stood at the very edge of the base camp, my heavy winter boots sinking deep into the fresh snow. My chest was tight, my breathing shallow and fast. Just twenty minutes ago, a deafening, catastrophic roar had echoed down from the peaks. The entire cliff face supporting the Jagged Teeth stronghold had sheared off, sending thousands of tons of rock and ice crashing into the dark chasm below.The mountain had collapsed.I stared into the blinding white storm, my green eyes searching the dark tree line for any sign of movement. The true mate bond pulsing in my chest told me Cullen was still alive. I could feel his steady, dominant heartbeat echoing against my own ribs. But the bond could not tell me if he was carrying a rescued child or a small, broken corpse. 
CULLEN'S POVThe entire mountain groaned. It was a deep, violently vibrating rumble that traveled straight up through the thick soles of my combat boots and rattled my teeth inside my skull. The toxic, dark earth magic that had anchored this ancient mining outpost for centuries was suddenly gone. Without the violent spell holding the fractured, rotting stone together, the Jagged Teeth stronghold immediately began to tear itself apart.I dropped Bronson’s lifeless corpse. He hit the freezing floor like a sack of wet dirt.Above me, the towering vaulted ceiling split wide open. A jagged, massive fissure raced across the gray stone, raining a thick, blinding curtain of plaster dust and crushed rock down on my broad shoulders. A boulder the size of a transport truck broke loose from the central archway. It plummeted downward, smashing into the stone floor ten feet to my left. The heavy strike threw me off balance
CULLEN'S POVI pushed my massive shoulders upward, throwing off the ruined chunks of the collapsed wall. A thick cloud of gray plaster dust and ancient dirt cascaded off my dark tactical armor. The bitter, freezing wind howling through the open skylight whipped the debris into a swirling frenzy, but I didn't blink. I stepped out of the rubble, my heavy combat boots crunching loudly against the fractured stone floor.My silver eyes instantly found the altar in the center of the vast, circular chamber.The violent, pulsing purple light of the dark ritual was dying. It flickered erratically, turning into a sick, murky shade of gray before bleeding out completely. The ancient earth magic was pulling away, rejecting the sacrifice.Lying motionless across the carved runes was Caomh Colson.His massive frame completely covered the terrified little girl beneath him. A jagged silver
CAOMH'S POVThe shattered remnants of the dark-magic barrier rained down around me like falling, glowing ash.I stood inside the glowing ring of ancient runes, my heavy boots planted firmly on the freezing stone floor. My chest heaved violently, dragging the thin, bitter winter air into my burning lungs. The ruined gray sweater clinging to my torso was scorched and smoking, the rough wool melted directly into the blistered skin of my shoulders. Every single nerve ending in my body screamed in protest, overwhelmed by the searing, toxic heat of the energy field I had just forced my way through.But I didn't care about the pain. I didn't care about the burns.My golden eyes were completely locked onto the terrified little girl floating above the altar.The invisible tethers of purple magic holding Esme in the air began to flicker and fray. The protective dome had been the main
The shattered halves of the heavy stone doors crashed inward, slamming against the floor of the inner sanctum with a deafening, thunderous crack. A massive cloud of gray dust and pulverized rock plumed into the air, instantly swirling into the violent winter storm.I stepped through the ruined threshold, my heavy boots crunching over the debris.The freezing northern wind howled down through a massive, open skylight in the center of the vaulted ceiling, bringing thick sheets of blinding white snow directly into the tower. But the freezing temperature of the storm was completely eclipsed by the sickening, toxic heat radiating from the center of the room.The air tasted like burnt copper, dry static electricity, and rotting earth.A hidden mercenary, stationed just inside the doorway to guard the entrance, lunged at me through the settling dust. He thrust a short combat blade directly toward my injured ribs, desperate to protect his master.I did not have the strength or the magic of an
CULLEN'S POVThe first pale, freezing light of morning was just beginning to crack the eastern horizon, painting the heavy snow clouds in shades of bruised gray and dull pink. But the natural dawn was completely poisoned by the sickly, pulsing purple glow radiating from the peak of the Jagged Teeth stronghold.I marched at the very front of the Arden column, my massive boots crushing the thick ice beneath my feet.The steep, narrow mountain path was a treacherous, frozen incline leading directly up the sheer cliff face. The freezing northern wind howled down the gorge, carrying sharp shards of sleet that bit sharply into my exposed face. My lungs burned with the thin, freezing altitude, but I kept my pace relentless. I was the King of the North, and my army moved exactly to the rhythm of my boots.Beside me, Caomh Colson walked in total silence.The former ruler of the Silv







