جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

he sunlight streaming through my apartment windows is different. Less promise of a new day and more like a spotlight on what I'm leaving behind.Kael's at my kitchen table, oddly normal considering he became a wolf and killed three people less than twelve hours ago. He's wearing the clothes i borrowed from my neighbor under the pretense of a plumbing emergency, and he's managed to make coffee without burning down my kitchen like I'd assume. The only reminder of last night is the silvering of his scars on his arms and the occasional flash in his eyes from that otherworldly light."You have to call your clinic," he says to me without looking up from the document in his hand. Another strange flash of normalcy in what's otherwise become a completely abnormal situation."I know." I look down at my phone, trying to figure out how I'm going to tell Luna that I won't be coming in today. Or tomorrow. Or maybe never again. "What do I even say?""Family emergency. Someone has died in family. Som

The sellers in this section speak in hushed tones, and their customers appear more serious, and desperate."That's it," Kael says, nodding toward a stall draped in deep purple. Herbs hang in loops along the rafters, and the air beside it radiates with something that may be magic or merely incense smoke. A sign claims "Curses... And every other thing was written in a language that's not English."The woman standing behind the counter is in her thirties, with auburn-colored hair and piercing green eyes. She is rummaging through what may be a set of crystals, each containing a different color of inner light."Excuse me," I speak up as we enter. "Are you Mira Blackwood?"The woman looks up, and for an instant I see something flick across her face. Surprise? Recognition? But it is so fleeting that I might have imagined it."No," she says, her voice lightly accented with something I don't recognize. "My name is Kaia. Mira Blackwood died three years ago. Heart failure. I bought her stall out

Mira's home is nothing I'd expect from a witch of multiple decades experience.The Victorian house sits between two empty warehouses in a neighborhood I didn't know we had. From the outside, it looks like any other remodeled old building, with gingerbread trim and a porch that curves around the house that screams old money.It's only when Mira leads me up the front porch stairs that I notice things that make it different from an ordinary house. The door knocker is fashioned out of what looks like black bone. The windows are trimmed with glass that shifts color depending on how you're looking at it. And all the little pieces of iron decoration on the porch have symbols that my eyes are yearning to slide away from."Protection wards," Mira tells me, catching my gaze. "They make the house unfriendly to anyone.""Such as hunters?""It makes it untraceable and untouchable."The handle is turned to a wind chime-like sound, and the door swings open to an interior that absolutely does not mat

(Continuing the vision)The three days following Blackstone's ultimatum feel like a waking nightmare.Jonathan has moved to the guest quarters, claiming he needs space to think. I sense the real reason through our bond. He’s afraid of me. He fears that being near me might compromise his free will, twisting his emotions.The other pack representatives left without trying to mediate. News has spread quickly through the supernatural communities about the hunter's offer and the choice every species faces: stand with the Empaths or accept protection from those who would control them.I spend my time in the library, reading letters from other Empaths across the colonies. The news worsens with each one.Nathaniel has indeed enslaved the Charleston vampire court, but the reports are more alarming than I first thought. He’s not just controlling them; he’s feeding off their pain, using their suffering to drive even greater displays of power. The vampires who resist are driven mad before being f

"The connection you've built is impressive," Mira says as I slowly refocus on the room around us. "But that was just the beginning. Now we need to go deeper."I'm still trying to grasp what it felt like to touch so many supernatural minds across the city, offering healing instead of control. The exhaustion runs deep, but there’s a new sense of rightness I've never experienced before."How much deeper?" I ask."Deep enough to break a curse that has been active for months, spreading through pack bonds and growing stronger each day." Mira starts rearranging the crystals around us into a more complex pattern. "But first, we need to address a problem.""What kind of problem?"She glances at Kael, who has been unusually quiet during my empathic exercise. "The emotional connection between you two is too strong. During the deeper parts of training, his feelings will interfere with your ability to focus on other supernatural energies."I feel Kael tense beside me. "What are you saying?""I'm s