Kieran's POV
Twenty warriors. Twenty trained killers with dark magic crackling around their hands.
And one terrified girl who'd just learned magic was real.
The odds were terrible.
I'd faced worse.
"Obsidian," I said quietly, my eyes never leaving the enemies pouring through the door. "Take Aria. Go through the back. There's a shadow portal in the alley. It'll take you to the Sanctuary."
"I'm not leaving you to die alone," Obsidian argued.
"You're not leaving me. You're protecting her." I felt my shadow magic building, spreading across the floor like ink. "That's all that matters."
"Kieran—" Aria's voice was small, scared.
I couldn't look at her. If I looked at her right now—saw those violet eyes filled with fear—I'd lose focus. And if I lost focus, we'd all die.
"Listen to me, Aria." I kept my voice steady even though my heart was hammering. "I know you're scared. I know this is overwhelming. But you need to trust Obsidian. He'll keep you safe."
"How noble," one of the Conclave warriors sneered. He stepped forward, his face hidden behind a black mask. "The legendary Kieran Ashford, willing to die for a girl he barely knows."
"I know her better than you think." My shadow magic coiled tighter, ready to strike. "And she's worth a hundred of you."
The warrior laughed. "The Conclave wants her alive. But you? You're already dead."
They attacked.
Five warriors rushed me at once, throwing spells that could burn flesh from bone. I shadow-traveled through their attacks, appearing behind them in a burst of darkness.
My shadow blade cut through the first warrior before he could turn around.
The others spun to face me, but I was already moving. Shadow-traveling. Striking. Disappearing before they could counter.
This was what I'd trained for. Two centuries of combat experience. Every dirty trick. Every killing technique.
I was a weapon. And weapons didn't hesitate.
Behind me, I heard Obsidian fighting too. Spells exploded. Someone screamed.
But I couldn't check on them. Couldn't spare a second to look.
Three more warriors came at me from different directions. Coordinated. Professional.
I dropped low, letting their spells pass over my head. Then I sent shadow spikes shooting up from the floor, impaling two of them.
The third got close enough to slash at me with a blade made of dark fire.
It cut across my shoulder. Pain exploded through my arm.
I gritted my teeth and stabbed my shadow blade through his chest.
"Kieran!" Aria's scream cut through the chaos.
I spun around.
A warrior had gotten past Obsidian. He was running straight for Aria, his hands glowing with capture magic meant to bind her.
Time seemed to slow down.
I was too far away. I'd never reach her in time.
The warrior's spell shot toward her—
And Aria's hands blazed with silver light.
Vines exploded from the floorboards, wrapping around the warrior so fast he didn't have time to scream. They covered him completely, squeezing tighter and tighter until—
He stopped moving.
Aria stared at her glowing hands, her face pale with shock. "I—I didn't mean—did I kill him?"
"He's unconscious," Obsidian said quickly. "You just knocked him out. But Aria, that was incredible! Your powers are—"
"LOOK OUT!" I shouted.
Too late.
Dark magic slammed into Obsidian, throwing him across the room. He hit the wall hard and collapsed.
And then she appeared.
Moira stepped through the broken doorway, but she didn't look human anymore. Her skin had turned grey. Her eyes were completely black. Dark energy poured off her in waves.
Behind her stood a man in red robes. Taller than the others. More powerful.
I felt my blood turn to ice.
I knew those robes. Knew what they meant.
"A High Mage," I breathed.
The man smiled. "Hello, Protector. The Conclave sends its regards."
High Mages were the Conclave's elite. Each one could take down a dozen normal warriors alone. And this one had brought an army with him.
We were dead.
"Aria," I said quietly. "Run. Now."
"I'm not leaving you!"
"You don't have a choice." I gathered every ounce of shadow magic I had left. This was going to hurt. Possibly kill me. But it would buy her time. "Obsidian, when I make my move, grab her and go. Don't stop. Don't look back."
"Kieran, no—"
"I'm sorry," I said. And I meant it. Sorry I couldn't protect her longer. Sorry she'd just found out she had a Protector only to watch him die. Sorry for everything.
I raised my hands and prepared to unleash a shadow explosion big enough to bring down the entire building.
But before I could release it, Aria grabbed my arm.
"Wait," she said.
And her silver light poured into me.
Through the Protector bond. Through our touching hands. Straight into my core.
It was like being struck by lightning made of pure life.
My exhausted magic roared back to life. Stronger than before. My wounds healed. My strength returned.
I stared at her in shock. "What did you just—"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But I felt you dying through—through something. A connection. And I just knew I could help."
The Protector bond.
She'd channeled her life magic through our bond and healed me.
Something that should have been impossible. She'd been awakened for less than an hour. She didn't even know how to control her powers.
But she'd instinctively used our connection to save my life.
The High Mage's smile faded. "Interesting. The bond is already active. That complicates things."
"Kill the Protector," Moira snapped. "Take the girl. The Master wants her blood tonight."
"The Master?" I repeated, my stomach sinking. "You don't mean—"
"Oh yes." Moira's black eyes gleamed. "The Shadow King himself is waiting for her. And when he drains every drop of her Luminae blood, he'll finally have the power to tear down the Veil and merge both worlds."
The Shadow King.
The ancient darkness that had been sealed away for millennia.
The Conclave wasn't just trying to capture Aria.
They were trying to resurrect the one being powerful enough to destroy everything.
"The ritual requires virgin Luminae blood," the High Mage said calmly. "Fresh from the source. Extracted during the Moonless Hour." He checked his watch. "Which begins in exactly fifteen minutes."
My mind raced. Fifteen minutes. We had fifteen minutes to get Aria out of here before—
"Of course, the blood must be taken willingly," the High Mage continued. "Or extracted through sufficient pain that the subject begs for death. Either works."
Rage exploded through me. "You'll never touch her."
"Won't I?" He gestured, and the remaining warriors formed a circle around us. At least twelve of them. Plus Moira. Plus the High Mage himself.
We were surrounded. Outnumbered. Running out of time.
And Aria was shaking beside me, her silver light flickering as terror overwhelmed her control.
The High Mage raised his hand. "Last chance, Protector. Step aside and we'll kill you quickly. Refuse, and we'll make you watch while we bleed her."
I stepped in front of Aria, shadows gathering around me like armor.
"You want her blood?" I said quietly. "You'll have to go through every drop of mine first."
The High Mage sighed. "So be it."
He snapped his fingers.
And the floor beneath us opened up.
We fell into darkness—Aria screaming, me trying desperately to catch her—as the flower shop disappeared above us.
We were falling through shadows. Through magic. Through something that felt like the space between worlds.
And when we finally hit solid ground, we weren't in the shop anymore.
We were somewhere else.
Somewhere cold and dark and wrong.
I pulled Aria against me, trying to shield her as I looked around.
Stone walls. Iron chains hanging from the ceiling. Symbols carved into the floor that glowed with sickly red light.
A ritual chamber.
We'd been teleported directly into the Conclave's stronghold.
And standing in the center of the ritual circle was a figure in black robes.
Tall. Ancient. Radiating power that made my Protector instincts scream in warning.
He lowered his hood, revealing a face that looked almost human. Almost.
But his eyes were pure darkness. Endless. Empty. Hungry.
"Welcome, little Luminae," the Shadow King said, his voice echoing like thunder. "I've been waiting eighteen years for this moment."
He smiled.
"Let's begin."