The manor breathed.
At first it was subtle, just a shift underfoot, stone humming like it remembered footsteps. But then the whole estate groaned, windows clattering in their frames, walls stretching as if the house decided it wanted lungs again.
My palms went slick around the golden chains, the hum rising like a warning.
Kael's grip tightened around my wrist. His eyes tracked the shaking courtyard, the shifting shadows, every corner of this cursed place coming alive at once. "It's reacting," he murmured. "To the guardian and to you as well."
A knot twisted under my ribs. "Yeah, but I can't tell if it's sheltering us… or sizing us up."
Selene shoved closer, dust covered her hair, stretching her hands up like she is expecting the ceiling to fall. "This is wrong. Houses don't think. They don't… pay attention." She flinched as a shutter slammed somewhere above. "It knows we're here."
I swallowed, my throat was dry and tight. The manor's pulse synced with the guardian's; slow, heavy, and ancient. I could feel every hall, every staircase, every locked room breathing in sync, like the whole estate had been asleep for centuries and was now wide awake and pissed.
Kael leaned in until his shoulder brushed mine. "Whatever it wants, don't let it split us up."
"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered, though my pulse felt like it was sprinting laps in my veins.
Something moved across the courtyard, it was fast and thin.
Selene sucked in a breath. "Okay, tell me that's one of the elders."
"It's not," I said, voice catching. "That thing… that's the ritual."
Kael looked at me like I'd spoken in a dead language. "The what?"
"This house is the ritual," I said, pointing as the shadow glided along the stone.
"The air, the floors, the walls, it's all part of it. And that….." the shadow twitched, listening "that's the part that watches."
The guardian growled, deep and serrated, fur bristling along its massive frame. "Stay behind me," I said, stepping forward as the chains were vibrating like a struck bell.
Selene grabbed my arms. "You don't even know how to control that thing! You barely….."
"Selene." My voice came out rough. "I know."
But I still stepped forward.
The shadow slid closer, moving with a wrongness that made my skin crawl. For a moment, the air stilled, even the garden seemed to hold its breath.
The manor's heartbeat synced with mine.
The guardian slammed down in front of me like a living wall, claws carving into stone. The creature's form hit the guardian and rippled, splitting apart like ash in sunlight. I swung the chains on instinct as sparks flared where metal met its shadow.
"Keep it back!" I yelled.
Selene darted to my side, swatting at tendrils with more courage than sense.
Kael didn't leave me, not for a heartbeat. His hands brushed my elbow, reminding me I wasn't doing this alone.
"We can push it off," he said through clenched teeth. "Just keep going."
I sucked in a ragged breath and let the chains flare again. Energy rushed through me and it felt so painful, hot, and ancient. The broken pieces of shadow writhed like something in its death throes… then fled toward the manor, melting back into its walls.
"It… left," I managed. "For now."
Kael cupped my face briefly, checking I was still conscious. "That was too close."
"No kidding," Selene muttered, dusting off her arms. "I thought it was gonna climb inside my skin."
I wiped my mouth with shaking fingers. "The manor's awake now. It's watching, waiting and judging as it always does." My voice cracked on the last word. "This isn't just stones, it's part of the bloodline."
Kael stepped closer. "Then we have to learn how to use it and control it together."
I nodded, even though the thought terrified me. "Together."
The courtyard door at the far end slammed open like something had kicked it from the inside, dust exploded outward. A figure stepped through, tall and cloaked, dripping power that didn't belong to Victor or the elders.
The guardian growled immediately it saw him, a low, threatening rumble that scraped the back of my teeth.
The figure walked into the light.
I stopped immediately as I knew that face, knew it in a way that made my stomach drop and my blood turn to ice.
And in that moment, I understood: Whatever we fought so far, was just the beginning.