Chapter 1

My five-year-old son, Noah Blackwood, and Ella Hart, the human woman my husband had just turned, were trapped inside the vampire hunters' Sunfire Array. Fifteen minutes remained before it detonated.

My husband, Prince Arthur Blackwood, stepped in front of Ella without a moment's hesitation and barked an order at me.

"Give Ella the Shadow Shield! Now!"

I froze.

The Sunfire Array blazed before us, its ultraviolet beams weaving a lethal net through the air.

An amethyst countdown burned above it: 15:00.

On the left side, Noah huddled into a tiny ball.

His small hands clutched the hem of his shirt, tears pooling in his eyes.

"Mommy, it hurts," Noah whimpered, his voice so faint it could dissolve in the wind.

To his right, Ella was clutching her chest.

"Arthur, I can't breathe. Am I dying?"

Arthur whipped his head toward me.

"What are you waiting for?" Arthur jabbed a finger toward Ella.

"Serena, Noah is pureblood. He can last a little longer. Ella has only been a vampire for two months. She won't survive this."

I stared at the man I had shared a blood bond with for a century.

"Arthur, Noah is your own flesh and blood!"

He stared down at me without a trace of warmth.

"He's my son. He should be strong enough to endure this."

"And you're my wife. You will obey me."

With that, he raised his hand.

Two low-ranking ghouls shuffled forward, dragging rusted silver chains.

At the other end was my mother, Helen Warren.

Blood stained the corners of her mouth. The two fangs that marked her as pureblood nobility had been ripped out.

Rage washed my vision red.

"Arthur! Have you lost your mind? That's Helen, my mother! Noah is your son!"

"Noah is a pureblood. He can hold on a little longer."

"Serena, do you think I'm asking?" Arthur stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"You're the strongest Shadow Wielder in this territory. Shielding Ella should be easy for you."

"Why are you turning this into a fight? Let Ella have the shield. She's newly turned and defenseless."

"If you don't save Ella first, I'll tell the clan your mother is lowborn filth masquerading as a noble."

He held up a memory crystal.

"This crystal proves it. The High Priestess's mother is a fangless fraud. The entire clan will call her a disgrace."

I was shaking all over.

"You're insane." I stared at the man who had once been my blood-bound mate.

"Mommy," Noah called again. Angry red burns were already spreading across his skin.

My mother struggled against the silver chains.

"Serena, forget about me. Save Noah," my mother rasped.

"I'm counting to three." Arthur's voice was cold and flat.

"One."

I closed my eyes. Tears splashed onto the back of my hand.

"Two."

"I'll do it." My eyes opened, but the voice that answered did not sound like mine.

I turned and locked my hands into the casting sign. Shadow poured from my palms.

A dark shield slowly unfurled.

"Arthur, it's so dark. I'm scared," Ella whined.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Arthur said, his voice instantly turning gentle.

Calling the Shadow Shield demanded enormous mental strength. It felt as though my soul were being torn in two.

Five minutes.

It took five full minutes to force the shield through the Sunfire Array and wrap it around Ella.

"It's done. Let my mother go." I lowered my hands, deathly pale.

I turned toward the left side of the array.

"Noah, Mommy's coming." I staggered toward him.

Then the array flared.

The blast was not due for another ten minutes. It detonated anyway.

White fire swallowed Noah.

"Noah!" His name tore out of me.

In the white light, Noah didn't even have time to cry out.

His little body broke apart in the light and collapsed into ash.

I collapsed to the ground, fingers clawing into the dirt.

Grief ripped through me. Blood burst from my mouth.

My vision blurred. The sounds around me grew distant.

"Arthur, why did it go off early? That was terrifying!" Ella stepped out from behind the shield, pressing a hand to her chest.

"It's over now." Arthur pulled her into his arms.

"Noah is dead. You don't think she'll blame you, do you?"

"So what if she does?" Arthur's voice held no emotion.

"You're the only one I care about. I married Serena for her pure blood and the barrier protecting her territory."

"Once I have the barrier, she'll be useless."

"If she had been powerful enough, she could have shielded them both. She hesitated. Noah's death is on her."

I lay face down as consciousness dragged me into darkness.

"You'd better pray I never wake up, Arthur."

When I opened my eyes inside my coffin, cold, dead silence surrounded me.

I wiped the tear tracks from my face, pricked my fingertip, and activated a communication spell.

The glowing screen revealed Lucas Kane, the First King of the North, resting deep beneath the frozen tundra.

"I accept the alliance you offered me five years ago.

"But I have two conditions.

"First, find out why the Sunfire Array detonated ahead of schedule.

"Second, I want Arthur and his entire territory to pay for Noah's death."

Lucas's low chuckle carried through the rune.

"Agreed.

"In thirty days, I'll collect you from the castle myself in my black carriage."

After ending the call, I retrieved an ancient sorcery scroll from a hidden compartment in my chamber.

I cut open my palm and wrote a Blood Bond Severance Pact in my own pure blood, one deliberate stroke at a time.

For the next thirty days, I would endure the torment of my soul burning day and night.

Until the bond shattered completely, leaving neither of us bound to the other.