Time froze as Darian held up the real bottle. The black liquid inside swirled like a live thing, hungry and waiting. "What is that?" Elara whispered, backing away from the brother she'd trusted most. "Your freedom," Darian said softly. "And my destiny." Kael stepped forward, his silver knife shining.
"Put it down, Darian. Don't do this." "You don't understand." Darian's voice cracked. "She's dying. Each curse she breaks takes more of her life. I'm trying to save her." "By stealing her power?" Ronan growled, his wolf still close to the surface. "By taking the burden she can't handle!" The argument shattered when Kane yelled from the edge of town. "Marcus's soldiers! They're here!" Through the woods, torches blazed like angry stars. Hundreds of them.
