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Hecate’s smile broadened, revealing blindingly white teeth. “I am happy you have finally found your star,” she said.
I started, my eyes flying up to meet her gaze. There were flecks of silver swirling in her black irises, like tiny stars in a pocket-sized galaxy. “My star?” I asked.
She smiled and gestured toward Maximillian, who was still standing with his eyes closed, the amethyst clasped in his palms. I instinctively knew from the unnatural stillness that had settled over the world that this was a moment suspended in time—that neither of the others could sense or hear the goddess speaking.
“He will be your guiding light on this journey,” she told me. “The one you will return to when the world grows dark and all seems lost.”
I glanced around at the city spread out below us, a sense of irony filling me. “Seems like things are pretty dark already,” I said with a shrug.
The goddess chuckled. “I always did enjoy your flippant tongue,” she said. “But heed my words, Kitana. Although I answered your call today, I will not always come, and nor should you always turn to me. You may be a daughter of the moon, but you are also a daughter of multiple realms, multiple gods. There are many forces you may call upon in Valentaera, should you only find the courage to.”
A sense of dread coiled at the base of my spine, and I shook my head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you, though?” A slight edge entered the goddess’s tone as she stepped closer, and I shivered as her magnetic energy crackled over my skin. “There is a reason you were born with the power to command only shadows, child. A reason that the Grand Matron shunned you, that your lover feared you, that you were locked away. And if you do not embrace the dark side ofyour nature, you will find yourself trapped in a prison of your own making. One that no one can free you from, not even your vampire lord.”
A sick fear began to churn in my stomach, and I swallowed back the hint of bile that surged into my throat. “I don’t think I can do what you ask,” I told her, my voice shaking.
Hecate’s expression softened, and she reached out with a moon-pale hand to brush a lock of hair from my shoulder. The gesture was gentle, motherly even, and the fear eased just a little. “I know,” she said, a tender smile curving her dark lips. “You aren’t ready yet. But you will be. And when you are, he will be there to guide you.”
She leaned in and brushed her lips against my forehead, and I gasped as pure power rushed through me at the contact. Shadows exploded around my feet, rippling out like dark ribbons in the wind, and my spine arched as a pillar of moonlight engulfed my body. Shocked cries echoed around me, and I knew that the others could see what was happening as the storm of shadow and light surged around me.
I knew I should have been concerned, but the magic storming my blood wiped away every thought, every feeling, filling me with an exhilaration the likes of which I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Every cell in my body seemed to crackle with power, and I lifted my hands to the sky, watching as the lunar energy rippled along my fingers.
No longer was I the weak, terrified girl that had been dragged out of prison only a few weeks ago. No longer was I trapped in a frail body, cut off from my birthright, dependent upon the mercy of others.
I was Kitana Nightshade. Witch. Vampire Slayer. Daughter of all worlds, according to the Great Mother. And I would fear nothing and no one.
Opening my eyes, I aimed my right hand toward the sneering statue of Vladimir Invictus. A blast of lunar energy erupted from my palm, screaming through the air, and the statue exploded, the blast echoing like cannon-fire. The tendrils of shadow around me swarmed, deflecting the shrapnel, and a triumphant grin tugged at my lips until my cheeks ached from the force of it.
I wouldn’t be able to do that again—the lunar energy had been a temporary gift, one that always faded back into shadow energy after the ritual was complete. But it felt really damn good to be able to wield it, even if just for a moment.
“Well, that was terrifying,” Sparrow remarked, and I turned to see the others staring at me, a comical array of expressions varying from impressed to annoyed to intimidated etched onto their faces. “Is that what you’ll be doing to Emperor Vlad in a few weeks?”
“Gods, I hope so,” Eliza said with relish.
Lucius grunted as the intense glow around me began to fade. “It’s a good thing your shadows were there to protect us,” he said as the ribbons of darkness retreated across the ground to curl up around my feet. “Without them, we would have all been incinerated by that blast.”
I blanched, my gaze flying to Maximillian’s face. “Was it really that bad?” I asked.
“It was… intense,” he acknowledged with a slight dip of his chin. “But it was also everything I hoped it would be. You were magnificent, Kitana.”
His eyes glowed with pride, and a warm flush spread through my body at his praise. But the sensation of a furry body brushing up against my ankle distracted me from him, and I glanced down to see Jinx crouching between my legs, pawing at the tendrils of shadow.
I laughed, then reached down and scooped her into my arms. “Are you happy to see your little friends again?” I crooned, nuzzling my face into hers.
“That cat is so strange,” Nyra remarked, shaking her head.
“I still don’t understand why you hate that cat and Lucius adores her,” Sparrow said, crossing his legs at the ankle as he leaned against one of the statues. “You’re both Ferae—aren’t you all animal lovers?”
“I don’thateher,” Nyra said stiffly, her eyes narrowing on Sparrow. “I’m just not much of a cat person. And I don’t like how she just pops in and out of nowhere, like some apparition. One time I was in my office, doing paperwork, and she materialized right on top of the finance report I was writing. Spilled a bottle of ink and ruined a full day’s worth of work.”
She glared at Jinx, who simply flicked her tail, then jumped out of my arms and sauntered over to Lucius. “Cats are chaotic creatures,” I said as Lucius bent slightly so she could climb onto his massive shoulders. “They respond better to people with stabilizing presences.”
Nyra crossed her arms. “Are you saying that I’m a destabilizing person?” she demanded.
“Don’t be silly,” Eliza cut in before I could respond. “You bring a lot of order to this place. But you’re also pretty rigid sometimes, Ny. Lucius might be a grumpy old fuck, but he’s a solid,grounding presence, and even though he’s built like a mountain, he knows how to give when it matters.” She grinned at me as Lucius lifted a surprised eyebrow at Eliza’s impromptu analysis. “That’s why you gave him the earth element stone.”
“Speaking of which,” Sparrow said, tossing his piece of aquamarine into the air and catching it. “Are we allowed to keep these? I confess that in the short time we’ve been together, I’ve gotten a little attached.”
