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My mother smiled.

‘Voski… Voski! You can’t consider killing her! That’s what they want—’

‘Of course not!’ I snapped, glaring at her. Poor Grace recoiled. God, I was a bastard. I took a breath and softened my tone. ‘We aren’t killing anyone who doesn’t attack us first, Grace. But I have to figure this out. Just… follow my lead. Do as I do. Leave this with me,’ I said, my voice dead even in the link. Then I shut down again. I had to close that door. If I didn’t, I would lose control and harm them both.

Turning away from my mother’s smug smile, I tilted my head and looked at Cali again, as if I were measuring her for the best entry point for my blade. But I was beginning to sweat under my jacket.

In Foedus Cruoris, the Cruor Covenant ritual, a sacrifice was offered for the exchange of power. Death for increased life energy.

If Breckon had brought a willing Grace down here, together they would have killed Cali, unaware of her importance to me. And as they did so, the power of the sacrifice would ignite between them, transferring her life energy to each of them individually, amplifying each of them individually, then together as their power grew and fed each other’s. It was powerful blood magik, even in isolation. But bringing a sacrifice that I held a grudge against—that Grace’s mate held a grudge against—increased the power that could be released. Because it opened the door to a secondary spell my mother cast in isolation.

Magik triggering magik.

Risky, yet very powerful if it worked.

But if, as I suspected, Mother had prepared Cali to trigger a curse, it meant her death—in any situation—would rebound on whomever my mother had made the target of the curse. Would it be me? Or Grace?

She was insane! The level of power attracted by a blood sacrifice was already difficult to contain in a circle. But she was doubling the effect.

God, if this went wrong, it could kill all of us. Including her.

But if she didn’t… if the curse landed… it was certain death for whoever was the target—and no doubt increased power for my mother as its caster.

I pursed my lips and looked at Mother again—and again, she smiled. Her eyes dancing. She was thrilled. Meanwhile, somewhere outside the door of my heart, Grace was clouded in a storm of conflicting emotions.

What the fuck were we going to do?

I couldn’t think.

I couldn’t kill Cali! But now, I also couldn’t fake it—which had been my first plan—to appear to fulfill the ritual, but actually just knock the sacrifice out. I could have coached Grace in how to appear as if we’d been overwhelmed with power. There was true power to be gained from a faux sacrifice, and we could have amplified the results to fool others that it was real. Stolen the sacrifice away to safety later…

But I couldn’t fake a curse when I didn’t know who it targeted, or how it would show.

Was that Mother’s game? Her way of testing me? Or Breckon? To ensure that the blood magik was actually ignited?

I didn’t know. But regardless, nothing changed.

The fact was, I couldn’t fake this. And for a moment, my mind blanked.

She’d done it. She’d neatly, impossibly cornered me. And she knew it. That was why she smiled. That was why she hadn’t deflected when I took Grace in front of the king.

She’d believed she would win anyway.

Shit… holy shit.

I couldn’t afford to lose.

I looked down at Grace and opened myself to the bond again, because the power was growing and soon it would be unleashed. If we didn’t kill Cali, Mother would know the altar received an entirely different kind of sacrifice, and who knew how that power would unleash?

Mother wouldn’t let us leave this chamber. She’d remain Dominus. This circle would increase in power, continue stealing those poor dragons. I’d never uncover the web that spread across this entire continent. The Furyknights would fracture. Vosgaarde would lose its power.

And I had no doubt how my mother would respond when that happened. Because she only sparked instability where she intended to step in and grasp power for herself.

God… it was like watching a dark cloud descend to cover the entire land. My head spun as I cast about for an answer—a plan. Anything. I had to find a way!

‘Grace, help me buy time. I didn’t anticipate this. I need a moment to find a way—’

“Who is it?” Grace said aloud. I almost swallowed my tongue.