VANESSA'S POV
My warning scream was still echoing in the sacred clearing, a raw and desperate sound swallowed by the river's rush. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. The world seemed to hold its breath.
Then, the shadows themselves moved.
They melted from between the ancient trees on the far bank, a dozen figures clad in robes of matte black that drank the light. Their faces were hidden deep within their hoods, but I didn't need to see their eyes to feel the cold, predatory intent rolling off them in waves. It was a physical pressure, a suffocating weight that pushed the air from my lungs.
And on their hands-on every single hand-the same cruel, silver crescent moon glinted. The symbol from my nightmares. The symbol of the Shattered Moon.
Adrien moved faster than thought. A savage grow
