Kael’s hand fisted my hair, dragging my head back, so my throat arched for his bite. His body trembled not from weakness now, but from fury barely caged.

Around us, the courtyard was littered with ash and broken stone. The faceless wolf pup pressed at my thigh, whining softly, ribs glowing. Behind it, twisted monsters knelt in the shadows, their voices whispering Hellcrowned like a prayer.

And Kael’s bond raged.

“You see it, don’t you?” he growled into my ear. “They bow to you. ...