The Quarterly Equinox was approaching, a sacred ritual meant to honor the Soulless One and his prophecy. But it was more than just a simple ritual. Every new recruit within the Order—all the Demiens who had yet to succumb to the shadows—would be brought upon the altar and tasked with performing the Reaper’s Kiss. An ancient shadow magic spell that would push them over the edge. Once the spell was complete, those new recruits would officially succumb to the shadows and become fully formed Demiens.
Nothing but weapons for the Soulless One’s game.
Nothing butmonsters.
Just like his sister.
A seething voice cut through August’s thoughts and dragged him back to the present.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Edith strode into the tent without warning, beelining toward August. He tried not to flinch when she shot her hand out, commanding her shadows to wrap their tendrils around his throat. They answered with pleasure, crashing down upon August, enclosing themselves hungrily around his neck.
His own shadows screamed inside him:Use us, use us, use us, use us.But he wouldn’t answer their pleas. He had to restrain himself. He had to be strategic about how much shadow magic heused.
He forced a tight-lipped smile, wheezing through the suffocating pressure. “Is this…how you greet…family?”
Edith’s lips lifted into a snarl. “You dare step into this encampment after your betrayal? After you tried toleaveus, abandonus—”
“Just…” August croaked, fighting to speak against the serpentine shadow squeezing his windpipe. “Hear me…out.” And just when he thought he might actually black out from the shadows’ vise grip, Edith let out a frustrated groan and released the shadows from his neck.
“What do you want, Augustine?” She spoke his full name like a curse. Bitter and sharp.
He kept his response simple. “I’ve come to join you.”
Edith snorted, unamused. “Bullshit.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“You expect me to believe this…thisperformance?” Edith practically spat the last word, sneering with disgust.
“I gave up my humanity, Edith. The one thing I swore never to part with. The one thing I was desperate to cling to—”
“And what of taking what is rightfully yours?” she interjected. “You took my crown. In front of everyone. Questioned my authority.”
“Come now, sister.” August chuckled softly. “I have no genuine intention of taking your position as High General. I just knew I needed to get your attention. But…Iwouldlike to take my rightful place by your side. To honor the Soulless One’s prophecy.” He let the weight of his words linger before tilting his head to the side. “If you’ll have me.”
“And what of the girl?” Edith asked without hesitation.
The question took August off guard. He swallowed, his jaw reflexively tensing. The mere thought of Wren sent a searing pain through his chest. A terrible anguish. But if he was to truly get back in his sister’s good graces, he needed to do everything in his power to push Wren out of his mind.
He shrugged. “What about her?”
Edith let out a cackle, head thrown back. “I’m not a fool, Augustine.You love her.” August flinched at the accusation. “Did you really think this would work? Waltzing into the encampment under false pretenses? Tricking me into thinking you give a damn about the prophecy?”
August bit down on his cheek, hard, tasting blood, though it didn’t last long. His wounds healed faster now, another swift and stark reminder of the irreparable damage he’d done to his soul.
“You’re right,” he breathed out, a trembling agony in his voice. “I love her. I do. And it hurts, Edith. It fuckinghurts. Because I see it now…the inevitability of our ending. You’ve won. There is no future for me and Wren. And as sad and pathetic as it mightseem—I can’t stomach the rest of eternity like this. With all these…thesefeelings. This pain.” August grimaced and a choked sob escaped his throat. “I can’t do it anymore. And the Reaper’s Kiss…it’s the only way. The only way to make it stop.”
Silence flooded the tent. Edith stepped closer, analyzing him with narrowed eyes.
“So…” she mused out loud, eyes raking his face. “You intend to succumb to the shadows on Equinox to free yourself of these pesky little…feelings?”
“If I let the shadows take me…if I bend to the Soulless One’s control…I won’t be in pain anymore. I won’t have this…thisweakness. It’ll all go away,” August explained in a shallow whisper. When he spoke the next sentence, he made sure to stare directly into his sister’s eyes. “That’s whyyoudid it…isn’t it?”
And there it was.
The faint crack in her mask.
