The night air hit Lyla’s skin like a blade.

Cool. Sharp. Alive.

The Bloodmarked moved behind her silent, waiting, ready.

She had led them out of the dark.

Now, they would remind the world who they were.

Eli walked beside her, his jaw tight. “We hit them first. But how?”

Jorah’s golden eyes flickered. “We cut off their influence. Their strongholds, their enforcers.”

Caelum nodded. “We do more than weaken them. We make them fear us.”

Lyla exhaled slowly, scanning ...