The cloaked witch knelt on the marble floor of the penthouse, chalk lines spreading out from his hands like veins of light. Ancient words spilled from his lips, sharp, guttural, vibrating in the walls themselves. The air thickened, trembling as if the whole apartment had been caught between one heartbeat and the next.

Chloe thrashed against her chains in the corner, veins darkening beneath her skin, her screams raw. "Blood...

Valerius, I need it..." Her voice cracked, guttural, almost not her ...