Every guard was thrown backward, falling into stone. Darius protected himself, growling in pain. I felt the blast tear through my chest not fire, not magic, but something heavy.

“Stop!” I shouted. “Rory, stop!”

She turned to me, eyes sparkling like twin suns.

“You said he was gone,” she whispered. “But he’s inside me. I can feel him.”

Lucien coughed blood, pulling himself upright. “You see now? She’s possessed.”

“No,” I said angrily. “She’s ...