Pain spread through my side like fire.
I fell against Cassian, struggling to breathe.
"Seraphine..."
Across the chamber, she lay motionless.
The shadow spear had disappeared, but the wound remained.
And somehow, I could feel it.
Every breath she took.
Every beat of her heart.
Every second she grew weaker...
I grew weaker too.
"The bond is killing both of them," Kael said.
The First King stepped toward us.
"There is only one way to break it."
I forced myself upright.
"Tell me."
His eyes moved toward Seraphine.
"The sister who carries the Shadow must willingly surrender her darkness."
Seraphine's eyes slowly opened.
She heard him.
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"And if I refuse?"
The First King answered quietly.
"Then the bond will eventually consume you both."
S
