Raven Moore wanted a life bigger than survival. Unfortunately, Ashvale seemed determined to make survival a full-time occupation. She leaned over the map spread across Seraphine’s dining table, one hand planted beside the faded outline of the old eastern subway line. Most maps made before the Shift were nearly useless now. Streets ended where buildings had collapsed, tunnels had been swallowed by magic, and entire neighborhoods belonged to things that did not care what humans had once named them. Still, some roads remained. And somewhere beneath one of them, a woman had disappeared three nights ago. Raven traced the tunnel with her fingertip. “She was last seen here?” Seraphine stood across from her, perfectly still. Her cousin had always possessed the irritating ability to make silence feel like judgment. “Yes.” “That sounded ominous.” “It was meant to.” Eli lounged against the doorway with his arms folded, his long dark coat hanging perfectly from his shoulders despite the fact that they were discussing a possible rescue mission into demon territory. He looked between them. “I would just like it formally recorded that I hate this plan.” “You hate every plan that involves dirt,” Raven said. “I hate unnecessary dirt.” Eli straightened one cuff. “There is a difference. If I die in some disgusting underground tunnel, I expect both of you to tell everyone I looked incredible.” Seraphine glanced at him. “If you die, I’ll raise you long enough to complain about your outfit myself.” Eli considered that. “See? This is why you’re my favorite witch.” “I am the only witch you know well enough to insult.” “And yet the title remains yours.” Raven smiled despite herself. Seraphine did not. Her ringed fingers pressed against the map, and the candles around the room flickered simultaneously. Raven’s smile disappeared. That was usually a sign her cousin had reached the end of her patience. “Listen to me.” Seraphine’s violet eyes settled on Raven. “This entrance feeds directly into the lower tunnels. Those tunnels belong to demons.” “I know.” “No. You know the words. I need you to understand them.” A faint silver glow slipped beneath Seraphine’s skin. The warding marks running along her fingers awakened one by one, dark ink turning violet as magic traveled over her hands and curled around her wrists. The room seemed to tighten around her. Even Eli stopped joking. Seraphine placed two fingers against the map. A glowing line appeared beneath them. It traveled across the paper, following the tunnel Raven had been tracing before branching into several smaller pathways. Raven watched closely. “The blue route is warded,” Seraphine said. “My magic will recognize you while you’re inside it. Stay on that path, and I can at least feel whether you’re alive.” “Comforting.” “I am not trying to comfort you.” “Obviously.” Seraphine’s gaze sharpened. The windows rattled. Raven immediately lifted both hands. “Okay. Very powerful witch. Very serious warning. Understood.” Eli leaned toward Raven and whispered, “You know, one day she’s actually going to turn you into something.” “Something attractive, hopefully.” “Please. I’ll supervise.” Seraphine closed her eyes. “I hate both of you.” “No, you don’t,” Raven and Eli said together. That finally earned the smallest twitch from the corner of Seraphine’s mouth. Then she pointed farther down the map. “This is where the protection ends.” The glowing line stopped at an intersection marked by three faded service tunnels. Beyond it, Seraphine had drawn a dark red boundary. Raven studied it. “Demon territory.” “Yes.” Eli pushed away from the doorway. “And that is where Raven turns around, comes home, and allows someone with magic, claws, immortality, or at minimum poor decision-making skills besides her own to handle it.” Raven looked at him. “You volunteered five minutes ago.” “Yes, because apparently I’m the only person here interested in keeping my best friend alive.” “You’re human too.” “An exceptionally pretty human.” Raven snorted. Eli gestured toward himself. “Do you know how difficult it is to find men worth dating in the apocalypse? Half the attractive ones are dead, the other half are demons, and judging from everything Seraphine has told me, demon men come with catastrophic emotional baggage.” Seraphine calmly rolled up another map. “That is surprisingly accurate.” “Thank you.” Raven shook her head. “You’re not coming.” Eli’s expression changed immediately. The humor remained, but something protective settled beneath it. “Raven.” “If both of us disappear, nobody knows where we went.” “I know.” “If something happens, you stay here. You tell Seraphine exactly where I was supposed to be.” “I know.” “And—” “I said I know.” That stopped her. Eli stepped closer and adjusted the collar of Raven’s jacket, an old habit that usually meant he was worried and refusing to admit it. “Just come back,” he said quietly. Raven softened. “I will.” “You better. I am not attending your funeral surrounded by heterosexual men saying things like ‘she was a fighter.’” Raven laughed. “There he is.” Seraphine reached across the table. “Give me your hand.” Raven obeyed. Her cousin turned Raven’s palm upward and pressed two fingers against the inside of her wrist. Magic burned cold against her skin. Raven hissed. A tiny violet symbol appeared beneath her pulse. “What is that?” “A ward.” “I thought your magic stopped at the boundary.” “It does.” Seraphine released her. “That does not.” Raven raised an eyebrow. Seraphine’s expression remained perfectly calm. “If something tries to possess you, it will regret it.” Eli stared at the mark. “I need one.” “You do not.” “What if something possesses me?” Seraphine looked him over. “It would leave voluntarily.” Raven laughed so hard she nearly knocked the map from the table. An hour later, neither of them was laughing. The tunnels beneath Ashvale smelled like wet stone, rust, and something old enough that Raven preferred not to identify it. Her flashlight swept across abandoned rail tracks and broken concrete. Water dripped steadily somewhere ahead. Every sound seemed louder underground. Her boots. Her breathing. The occasional distant groan of metal shifting beneath the ruined city. Raven checked the map again. The little violet mark on her wrist remained warm. Good. Still within Seraphine’s protection. She continued. The missing woman had been a courier who occasionally carried medicine between the human and witch districts. Reliable. Careful. Not the sort of person who simply wandered into demon territory. Which meant either someone had taken her, or something had chased her. “Raven.” She stopped. Her flashlight froze against the wall. A woman’s voice had drifted through the tunnel ahead. Soft. Weak. “Raven…” Her pulse quickened. “Hello?” Nothing. Raven stepped forward. “Can you hear me?” A faint sob echoed from somewhere around the bend. Then— “Please.” Raven moved faster. She rounded the corner. “I’m coming. Just stay—” Her words died. Something crouched beneath a broken light fixture. At first, her brain desperately tried to make it human. Then it lifted its head. Gray skin stretched tightly over an unnaturally narrow skull. Its arms were far too long, fingertips resting against the floor. Black eyes reflected the beam of her flashlight. Its mouth opened. “Raven.” The woman’s voice came from inside it. Raven’s stomach dropped. The Hollowborn smiled. “Oh, hell no.” She ran. Behind her came the violent scrape of claws against stone. Raven sprinted through the tunnel, boots hammering against concrete. The creature followed. Fast. Far too fast. She risked one glance behind her and immediately regretted it. The Hollowborn had dropped onto all fours. Its limbs bent at angles they absolutely should not have. “Raven!” The stolen voice had changed. Now it sounded like Eli. Raven’s blood went cold. “Raven, wait!” “Not funny!” She turned sharply through another passage. The violet mark on her wrist flashed. Then vanished. Raven stopped breathing. The boundary. She had crossed it. Red symbols covered the walls around her. Demon markings. Behind her, the Hollowborn shrieked. Raven kept running. The scraping claws suddenly stopped. She noticed half a second too late. Because she ran directly into something solid. Hands caught her by the arms before she could fall. Raven sucked in a breath and looked up. And up. The man holding her was tall enough to make the narrow tunnel feel smaller. Dark hair fell carelessly across his forehead, interrupted by two black horns curving back from his temples. A long black coat framed broad shoulders and a lean, powerful build. Rings gleamed over his gloved fingers where they remained wrapped around her arms. But it was his eyes that held her. Crimson. Not glowing. Not monstrous. Just deeply, unnervingly red. And currently looking down at Raven with absolute disbelief. For one strange second, neither of them moved. His gaze dropped briefly over her face, lingering just enough for Raven to notice. She became suddenly aware of how close they were. His hands were still around her arms. Her chest nearly touched his. And he was annoyingly attractive for someone with literal horns. Wonderful. His attention returned to her eyes. “A human.” His voice was low and smooth. Raven found hers. “Apparently.” One dark eyebrow lifted. Behind him stood several other demons, all watching the exchange with varying degrees of amusement. The man looked past Raven toward the tunnel. The Hollowborn remained just beyond the boundary. It paced in the darkness. Watching. His gaze returned to her. “A human,” he repeated, “running from a Hollowborn.” “I gathered that was what it was.” “And you crossed into my territory.” “Wasn’t exactly sightseeing.” His mouth twitched. Barely. But Raven caught it. Then she realized he was still holding her. “Let go.” His eyes narrowed slightly. Most people probably did not speak to him that way. Good. Raven had never been especially talented at self-preservation. He released her slowly. His gloved fingers slid from her arms, lingering just long enough that she wondered if it had been intentional. Raven stepped backward. His gaze followed her. Interesting. Not friendly. But interested. “Do you have any idea where you are?” he asked. “Underground.” One of the demons behind him coughed suspiciously like he was hiding a laugh. The man’s stare sharpened. Raven folded her arms. “I know this is demon territory.” “And yet you entered.” “I was being chased.” “You crossed the boundary before it reached you.” Raven hesitated. Damn. He had noticed that. “I’m looking for someone.” “I did not ask.” “You seem conversational.” That twitch appeared again. Definitely almost a smile. Which irritated her considerably more than open hostility would have. He stepped closer. Raven refused to move. He stopped within inches of her. Close enough that she could see the faint scar cutting through one eyebrow. Close enough that she could feel the warmth coming from him despite the cold tunnel. “Humans usually have enough sense to fear what lives beneath Ashvale.” Raven tilted her chin. “Maybe you haven’t met the right humans.” His eyes moved over her face slowly. Something shifted in his expression. Interest again. Sharper this time. “No,” he murmured. “Perhaps I haven’t.” Raven’s pulse betrayed her with one hard beat. She ignored it. “What’s your name?” The demon studied her for another moment. “Lucian Vale.” The name meant something. She had heard Seraphine mention it before. Never fondly. Of course. Raven exhaled through her nose. “Fantastic.” Lucian’s brow lifted. “You know me?” “I know enough.” “And yet you’re still standing this close.” Raven glanced down at the narrow space between them. Then deliberately looked back into his eyes. “You’re the one who walked closer.” For the first time, Lucian smiled. It was small. Slow. And considerably more dangerous than she would have preferred. Behind Raven, the Hollowborn shrieked her name again. Lucian did not even look at it. His attention remained entirely on her. “You crossed my boundary, Raven Moore.” Her stomach tightened. She had not given him her name. Lucian watched the realization cross her face. His smile deepened. “And humans do not enter my territory without paying a price.” Raven forced herself not to react. “Is threatening women how you introduce yourself?” “Only the interesting ones.” Heat crawled irritatingly up the back of her neck. Raven smiled without warmth. “Then you’re going to be disappointed.” Lucian leaned slightly closer. “I doubt that.” Behind them, the Hollowborn wailed again. Neither looked away. Raven had entered the underground looking for a missing woman. Instead, she had found a monster wearing someone else’s voice, crossed into forbidden territory, and somehow managed to attract the attention of the demon who controlled it. And judging by the way Lucian Vale was looking at her, escaping Ashvale’s underground might not be the most dangerous part anymore.

The boundary closed behind her. Raven felt it more than heard it. One moment, the Hollowborn’s stolen voice followed them through the tunnel. The next, silence fell so completely that even the creature’s claws disappeared. She looked over her shoulder. Nothing physical blocked the passage. The same stone corridor stretched behind them, dim and wet beneath the dying lights. Yet something had changed. The darkness beyond the red markings looked heavier now, almost solid. Raven turned back to Lucian. “What did you just do?” “I closed the door.” “There is no door.” Lucian kept walking. “Not one you can see.” “That is incredibly reassuring.” “I wasn’t trying to reassure you.” Raven frowned. Apparently demons and witches had more in common than either group would appreciate. Lucian moved several steps ahead of her, his long coat brushing the stone as they descended deeper beneath Ashvale. His guards had remained behind at the boundary without explanation. Raven had noticed immediately. She also noticed that Lucian had not bothered checking whether they followed. People simply obeyed him. Annoying. She hurried enough to catch up. “Where did your men go?” “Back to their posts.” “So now it’s just us?” Lucian glanced sideways at her. “Nervous?” “No.” “Liar.” Raven stopped walking. Lucian made it several steps before realizing she was no longer beside him. He turned. She folded her arms. “Do you make a habit of irritating everyone you meet, or am I getting special treatment?” He regarded her in silence. Then he walked back toward her. Slowly. Raven resisted the sudden urge to reconsider several life choices. Lucian stopped directly in front of her. “You crossed illegally into my territory,” he said. “You brought a Hollowborn to my boundary. You demanded my help. And now you’re questioning how I provide it.” “When you say it like that, you make me sound difficult.” “You are difficult.” “You’ve known me for ten minutes.” “It was a productive ten minutes.” Raven’s mouth twitched before she could stop it. Lucian saw. Of course he did. His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. That tiny movement should not have mattered. It did. Raven immediately looked away. “Are we finding this woman or standing here discussing my personality?” “I’m still deciding which is more dangerous.” “Definitely me.” Lucian’s quiet laugh followed her when she walked past him. That was worse than the smirk. Much worse. Raven hated that she liked the sound of it. They descended another flight of cracked stone stairs. The remains of the old subway slowly disappeared around them. Steel tracks gave way to carved stone. Modern concrete blended into walls covered with symbols so old Raven could not tell whether they had been carved before or after the Shift. Small flames burned inside iron fixtures along the walls. No wires. No electricity. Just fire. Raven glanced at Lucian. “How old is this place?” “Older than your city.” “Ashvale has been here for centuries.” “So have we.” She looked at him. Lucian kept walking. “You mean demons were here before the Shift?” A pause. “Some.” Raven quickened her pace. “Seraphine said the veil separated the realms.” “It did.” “But you were already here?” “Your cousin knows more than most witches.” He glanced at her. “That does not mean she knows everything.” Something about the way he said it bothered her. “What aren’t you telling me?” Lucian stopped beside an enormous stone archway. “Many things.” “Helpful.” “You asked what I wasn’t telling you. Not whether I intended to tell you.” “You’re unbearable.” “So I’ve been told.” Raven looked through the arch. Her irritation vanished. The tunnel opened into something impossible. A city existed beneath the city. Stone buildings climbed upward through a cavern so vast Raven could barely make out its ceiling. Bridges connected different levels of the underground settlement. Red and gold lights burned from windows carved directly into black rock. Demons moved along narrow streets below, some nearly human in appearance, others unmistakably not. Horns. Wings. Eyes that reflected fire. Shadows that seemed to move separately from the bodies casting them. Raven stared. Lucian watched her. She could feel it. “You’re enjoying this,” she said. “A little.” “I hate you.” “You don’t know me well enough.” “I’m learning quickly.” His mouth curved. Raven stepped closer to the railing overlooking the underground city. “This was here the whole time?” “Long before humans realized there was anything beneath their subway tunnels.” “And nobody above knows?” “Some know.” “Adrian?” The change in Lucian was immediate. Small. But unmistakable. His jaw tightened. The amusement disappeared from his eyes. Raven turned toward him fully. “You know Adrian Cross.” “Unfortunately.” “He runs the human district.” “I’m aware.” There was enough venom in those two words to make Raven curious. “What did he do?” Lucian started walking again. Raven followed. “That wasn’t rhetorical.” “It should have been.” “Lucian.” He stopped so suddenly she nearly walked into him again. His gaze dropped to her. “You say my name very easily.” Raven blinked. “It’s your name.” “Most humans down here avoid using it.” “Why?” “Names have power.” She stared at him. Then slowly raised an eyebrow. “Lucian.” His eyes narrowed. “Lucian.” “Careful.” “Lucian.” He stepped toward her. Raven’s back met the stone wall before she realized she had moved. Well. That escalated. Lucian planted one hand against the wall beside her head. He did not touch her. That somehow made the sudden closeness worse. “You enjoy testing boundaries,” he murmured. Raven looked up at him. “Maybe your boundaries are too easy to test.” Something flashed behind his crimson eyes. Heat. Interest. Challenge. All three were extremely inconvenient. “You should be afraid of me,” he said. Raven’s heartbeat kicked harder. She refused to let it show. “Do you want me to be?” Lucian went still. For the first time since meeting him, Raven seemed to have genuinely surprised him. His gaze searched her face. “No.” The answer came quieter than she expected. Raven swallowed. The tunnel suddenly felt several degrees warmer. “Then stop telling me how scared I’m supposed to be.” His eyes dropped to her mouth again. This time neither of them pretended it had not happened. Lucian leaned slightly closer. Not enough to touch. Enough that Raven felt his breath against her skin. “You really have no idea what you walked into tonight.” Raven’s voice came out lower than intended. “I’m starting to get an idea.” A sound echoed from farther down the corridor. Lucian straightened instantly. The moment shattered. Raven hated the tiny flicker of disappointment that followed. Lucian looked toward the darkness. “What was that?” she asked. He lifted one hand. “Quiet.” Raven opened her mouth. His crimson eyes cut toward her. She closed it. Fine. For approximately five seconds, she could follow instructions. Lucian moved forward without making a sound. Raven followed. The corridor narrowed ahead. Something lay near the wall. Fabric. Lucian crouched first. Raven came around him and froze. A leather satchel rested in a shallow puddle. A faded medical insignia had been stitched into its side. Raven knew that bag. “That’s hers.” She dropped beside it. Lucian caught her wrist before she could touch it. Raven looked at his hand, then at him. “Seriously?” “Look.” He pointed. A thin black residue coated the strap. Raven frowned. “What is that?” “Blood.” “It’s black.” “It isn’t human.” Her stomach tightened. Lucian released her wrist. Raven opened the satchel carefully using the edge of her sleeve. Medicine bottles remained inside. Bandages. Two syringes. A folded route map. Nothing looked stolen. Nothing looked disturbed. Except one thing. A small silver pendant lay at the bottom of the bag. Lucian’s expression darkened the moment he saw it. Raven noticed. “You know what that is.” “No.” “Terrible liar.” “Coming from you?” She ignored that. “Lucian.” His eyes remained on the pendant. “It’s a binding charm.” “Witch?” “No.” “Demon?” “No.” Raven waited. Lucian finally looked at her. “Human.” The word landed strangely. “That doesn’t make sense.” “It will.” “When?” “When I know why a human courier was carrying something designed to suppress supernatural magic.” Raven picked up the pendant carefully. It was cold. Unnaturally cold. Symbols had been carved into the silver. She recognized one. Not because she understood it. Because she had seen it before. Her stomach dropped. “Lucian.” He looked at her. Raven turned the pendant toward him. A tiny geometric symbol sat at its center. Clean. Precise. Almost hidden among the other markings. “I’ve seen this.” “Where?” “In the central district.” His expression hardened. “Where, Raven?” She looked back at him. “On Adrian Cross.” For several seconds, neither spoke. Then Lucian swore softly under his breath. Raven stood. “You know something.” “I know enough.” “Then tell me.” “No.” Her temper snapped. “You dragged me deeper underground, told me the woman I’m looking for came through here, found her bag covered in something’s blood, and now we have a charm connected to Adrian. You don’t get to suddenly decide I’m too delicate for answers.” Lucian stood as well. “You think this is about protecting you?” “What else would it be?” “Keeping you alive long enough to become useful.” Raven stared at him. “Oh, charming.” “I never claimed otherwise.” “You certainly flirt like you think you are.” Silence. Raven realized what she had said. Lucian’s eyebrow rose. Slowly. Damn it. “I flirt with you?” “No.” “That sounded very much like an accusation.” “It was an observation.” “And what have you observed?” Raven folded her arms. “Mostly arrogance.” Lucian stepped closer. “Mostly?” She hated him. She hated the amusement in his voice. She hated that he had noticed the exact word. “You are unbelievably irritating.” “And yet you keep looking at my mouth.” Raven’s eyes widened. “You—” A scream tore through the underground. Human. Raven spun toward the sound. “That’s her.” She ran. Lucian caught her around the waist before she made it three steps. Raven’s back hit his chest. “Let me go!” “No.” “She’s alive!” “And whatever made her scream knows we’re here now.” Raven struggled against his arm. “Lucian.” His mouth was near her ear when he answered. “If you run blindly toward that sound, you will get yourself killed.” Heat flashed through her for entirely the wrong reason. Not now. Absolutely not now. “Then let go and come with me.” His grip tightened for half a second. “You are going to become a problem.” Raven turned her head enough to meet his eyes. “I thought I already was.” Lucian stared at her. Then slowly released her. His hand lingered briefly at her waist before falling away. “Stay behind me.” Raven scoffed. He gave her a look. “For once in your life, human, do as you’re told.” She pulled a knife from her belt. “For once in yours, demon, try keeping up.” Raven ran toward the scream. Lucian followed. And somewhere far above them, Seraphine’s ward went dark.

The scream pulled Raven deeper into the collapsed tunnel. She climbed over broken stone, one hand braced against the wall as loose gravel shifted beneath her boots. Lucian followed somewhere behind her. “Left,” he said. Raven kept going straight. “Raven.” “The scream came from here.” “And the floor ends six feet ahead.” She stopped. A chunk of stone slipped from beneath her boot and disappeared into darkness. Raven stared down. Lucian came up beside her, looking irritatingly unsurprised. “You could have mentioned the giant hole.” “I did.” “You said left.” “I assumed you understood directions.” She shot him a look and turned toward the narrow passage on the left. “I liked you better when you weren’t talking.” “I don’t recall you liking me at all.” “Exactly.” The passage narrowed almost immediately. Raven turned sideways, squeezing between the damaged walls. Broken brick caught against her jacket. She pushed forward until Lucian entered behind her. There was barely enough room for one person. Definitely not enough for two. His chest brushed her back. Raven stopped. Lucian stopped with her. For one irritating second, neither moved. His breath warmed the side of her neck. Raven swallowed. “Back up.” “Into what?” “I don’t care.” “There is a wall behind me.” “Then become part of it.” His quiet laugh made something unpleasantly warm twist low in her stomach. She hated that more than the cramped tunnel. “Enjoying yourself?” “Immensely.” Raven shoved forward. “Jerk.” “You crossed into my territory.” “And somehow that continues to be your entire personality.” The passage finally opened into a larger chamber. Raven stepped away from him immediately. Cool air hit her face. Much better. She raised her knife and surveyed the chamber. Water dripped through cracks overhead, pooling across the uneven stone floor. Then a voice whispered from the darkness. “Raven.” She spun. Lucian stood several feet behind her. His expression had changed. “What?” He looked toward the corridor ahead. “That wasn’t me.” Raven’s grip tightened around the knife. “Raven. Help me.” Her stomach dropped. Because the voice was hers. Not similar. Hers. Every inflection. Every breath. “That thing is using my voice.” “The Hollowborn.” Lucian stepped past her. Raven frowned. “You said it couldn’t cross the boundary.” “I said it usually doesn’t.” “Oh, excellent distinction.” A shape unfolded from the darkness. Too tall. Too thin. Gray skin stretched tightly over long limbs, its hands nearly reaching the ground. Black eyes stared from an almost-human face. Then it smiled. Far too many teeth. “Raven, please.” Her own voice came from its mouth. Raven’s skin crawled. “I officially hate this city.” “This isn’t the city.” She glanced at Lucian. “Not helping.” The creature lunged. Lucian moved first. He slammed into it, sending them both into the wall. Raven stepped back as claws tore across Lucian’s arm. He hissed. The Hollowborn scrambled sideways along the stone, moving with a horrible, insectlike speed. Lucian turned. Too late. “Behind you!” He ducked. Raven drove her knife into the creature’s ribs. Black blood spilled over her hand. Cold. The Hollowborn screamed. First in Raven’s voice. Then Lucian’s. Then— A woman. “Please! Somebody!” Raven froze. The scream. The courier. The Hollowborn twisted toward her. That hesitation was enough. Lucian caught it by the throat. He spoke something low and unfamiliar. Red light tore across the floor. The creature slammed against an invisible barrier as the glowing line curved around it. It shrieked, throwing itself against the boundary. Raven stepped away, breathing hard. Black blood dripped from her fingers. Lucian straightened. Blood ran down his forearm. Raven glanced at it. “That looks bad.” “I’ll survive.” “I wasn’t worried.” His eyes lifted to hers. “Of course not.” Something in the way he said it made her hold his stare a second too long. His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. Barely a second. Then back to her eyes. Raven noticed. He noticed that she noticed. Neither said anything. She wiped the black blood onto her pants. “The scream.” Lucian looked toward the trapped Hollowborn. “That was her voice.” Raven’s stomach sank. “Then she’s dead.” “No.” She frowned. Lucian crouched near the edge of the chamber. Raven followed his gaze. Marks cut through the layer of dirt and water covering the floor. Drag marks. Fresh ones. “She came through here,” he said. Raven crouched beside him. “How recently?” “Recently enough that the water hasn’t washed these away.” She looked toward the darkness where the tracks disappeared. “Then we keep going.” Lucian didn’t move. Raven glanced at him. “What?” His expression had gone flat. The teasing was gone. “That passage leads deeper.” “You’ve said that already.” “Not into my territory.” Raven stood. Lucian did the same. “Whose?” He looked toward the tunnel. “My father’s.” Raven raised an eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to be scared of him?” Lucian’s eyes returned to hers. For once, there was no trace of amusement in them. “Yes.” That answer bothered her more than a threat would have.

Raven stepped over the drag marks and into the tunnel that led beyond Lucian’s territory. The change was immediate. The air felt colder here, but not with the damp chill of the upper tunnels. This cold settled deeper. It clung to the stone and crawled beneath her clothes, carrying the strange stillness of somewhere that had been sealed away from daylight for too long. Even the walls were different. Lucian’s territory had been rough, broken in places, patched by years of collapse and neglect. Here, the stone had been cut smooth. Black veins ran through it like old scars. Symbols had been carved at intervals along the passage, worn shallow with age but still visible when the dim red light behind them caught the edges. Raven slowed. She didn’t recognize any of them. That bothered her more than she wanted to admit. The drag marks continued straight ahead. She followed. Lucian’s hand closed around her arm. “Stop.” Raven looked down at his fingers, then up at him. “Take your hand off me.” His expression didn’t change. “The marks go this way,” she added. “I can see that.” “Then why are we stopping?” “You don’t understand the rules here.” Raven pulled her arm free. “Then teach me while we walk.” He didn’t move. That made her pause. Lucian had spent almost every moment since she crossed into his territory acting like nothing surprised him. Nothing unsettled him. Even with a Hollowborn throwing itself against a boundary in her voice, he had looked annoyed more than afraid. Here, he looked careful. Not frightened. That would have been easier. Careful meant he knew exactly what lived in this part of the underground. His gaze moved past her into the dark. “My father’s guards listen for voices,” he said quietly. “For footsteps that don’t belong. For anything out of place.” Raven glanced down at her boots. “Great. I’ll walk prettier.” His eyes returned to hers. “Do you ever stop?” “Do you?” “No.” “Then I guess we’re both unfortunate.” Something almost resembling amusement touched his face, but disappeared before it fully formed. “If they find you,” he said, “I can’t stop what happens.” Raven watched him for a second. There was no teasing in his voice now. No challenge. No smug little edge. Just fact. She hated that facts were harder to dismiss. “Then we stay quiet.” “We stay close.” Her jaw tightened. Of course they did. “Define close.” Lucian stepped past her into the tunnel. “Close enough that you don’t get yourself killed trying to prove a point.” Raven followed. “I don’t need to prove anything to you.” “That has not been my experience.” She nearly answered, then thought better of it. Mostly because the passage narrowed before she could. They moved single file for several yards until the stone opened just enough for them to walk side by side. Even then, their shoulders brushed every few steps. Raven adjusted her pace. Lucian matched it. She slowed. So did he. She looked at him. “Are you doing that on purpose?” “Doing what?” “Being irritating.” “That requires no effort.” She rolled her eyes and faced forward again. The tunnel curved downward. The deeper they went, the quieter it became. No dripping water. No skittering rats. No distant groan of shifting stone. Nothing. Raven had learned long ago that complete silence usually meant one of two things. Nothing lived there. Or everything alive knew better than to make noise. She wasn’t sure which possibility she preferred. Ahead, something scraped against stone. One slow drag. Then another. Raven stopped. Lucian’s hand landed against her stomach and shoved her backward. Her spine hit the wall. Hard enough to knock the breath from her. She opened her mouth. He raised one finger. Raven glared at him. A shape passed the mouth of the intersecting tunnel ahead. Tall. Broad through the shoulders. Human at first glance. Not human at the second. Its skin was too pale against the black stone. Long strips of dark fabric hung from its body, moving without sound. A curved blade rested against one shoulder. Raven held still. The figure paused. Lucian’s hand pressed more firmly against her stomach. Her eyes dropped. His palm was flat just above the waistband of her pants. Warm. Very warm. Of all the things her brain could have noticed right now, that was what it chose. Ridiculous. The guard turned its head slightly. Raven stopped breathing. Lucian leaned closer. His mouth was near her ear when he whispered, barely audible, “Don’t.” She wasn’t sure whether he meant don’t move, don’t breathe, or don’t do something stupid. Probably all three. The guard stood there another moment. Then continued down the adjoining tunnel. Its footsteps faded. Raven exhaled through her nose. Lucian didn’t move. Neither did his hand. She looked up at him. His face was closer than she expected. Too close, actually. Close enough to see the darker ring around his crimson irises. Close enough to notice the faint scar cutting through one eyebrow. Close enough that if either of them moved forward even slightly— No. Absolutely not. “You can move that now,” she whispered. His eyes flicked down. Then back to hers. He removed his hand. Slowly. Raven hated that she noticed that too. “This is a terrible time,” she murmured. “I’m aware.” “Then stop looking at me like that.” His mouth tilted. “You looked first.” Raven stared at him. She had. Unfortunately. “You’re unbearable.” “And yet you’re still here.” “For the courier.” “Of course.” She pushed away from the wall. He let her pass. The smirk was still there. She wanted to punch it off his face. Or wipe it off another way, which was far more irritating. Raven immediately hated the thought. She walked faster. Behind her, Lucian gave a quiet laugh. “Don’t.” “I didn’t say anything.” “Exactly.” They continued deeper. The passage widened again, opening into a long corridor lined with carved pillars. Several had cracked down the middle. Others leaned slightly, held upright by nothing Raven could see. There were symbols here too. More of them. Some had been scratched out. Others covered by newer marks painted in something dark. Raven slowed beside one. “What is that?” Lucian didn’t stop. “A warning.” “For what?” “People who ask too many questions.” She gave him a flat look. He sighed. “It marks restricted ground.” “Restricted by your father?” “Restricted by anyone who wants to keep breathing.” “Very specific.” “You seem to require repetition.” She ignored that. The drag marks remained visible, though they were harder to follow now. There were too many tracks. Boot prints crossed the corridor in both directions. Some fresh. Some old. Bare footprints appeared in places, narrow and strangely long. Raven crouched near the wall. Lucian stopped beside her. “What?” She pointed. “Blood.” A dark smear stained the stone near ankle height. Not black like the Hollowborn. Red. Human. Lucian crouched. He touched two fingers near the edge of the stain without actually making contact. “Fresh.” Raven’s stomach tightened. “The courier?” “Maybe.” “Helpful.” “You want me to lie?” “No. I want you to know everything.” “That’s going to disappoint you.” She looked at him. “I figured that out about five minutes after meeting you.” Lucian stood. “So did I.” “About me?” “About disappointment.” Raven rose. “Careful.” “Is that a threat?” “No.” She stepped closer. “That was me deciding whether hitting you would make too much noise.” His eyes dropped briefly to her mouth again. There it was. That look. Quick enough that she could pretend she imagined it. Not quick enough that she did. Raven held his gaze. Neither moved. For one stretched second, the underground disappeared around them. Then something clanged in the distance. The moment snapped. Lucian looked away first. “Keep moving.” Raven smiled faintly. Interesting. She said nothing. They followed the corridor down another flight of shallow stone steps. At the bottom, the architecture changed again. The walls opened into an underground street. That was the only way Raven could think to describe it. Buildings had been carved directly into the surrounding rock. Narrow doors stood beneath old arches. Some were sealed. Others were covered in heavy curtains. Red lanterns burned at uneven intervals, throwing dim light across the stone path. There were people here. Or things that looked enough like people from a distance. Figures moved between doorways, heads lowered. No one spoke. No one laughed. No one looked directly at them. Raven instinctively moved closer to Lucian. She realized it and immediately hated herself for it. He noticed. Of course he did. “Don’t.” She whispered, “Don’t what?” “Pretend you didn’t just move closer.” “I was avoiding that puddle.” “There is no puddle.” “Then maybe I like your company.” Lucian turned his head. Raven smiled sweetly. “Don’t get excited. I’m lying.” His expression flattened. “Tragic.” They walked on. A woman passed them carrying a basket covered in dark cloth. She glanced at Lucian. Then Raven. Her eyes widened slightly. She immediately looked away. Raven noticed. “She knows you.” “Everyone here knows me.” “That sounds arrogant.” “It’s not.” “That somehow makes it worse.” He stopped. Raven nearly walked into him. Ahead, two guards stood beneath an arch. Both carried the same curved blades. One wore a red sash across his chest. The other had something branded along the side of his neck. Lucian’s voice dropped. “Stay behind me.” Raven frowned. “Absolutely not.” “Raven.” “Don’t use that tone.” “What tone?” “The one where you think you’re giving orders.” “I am giving orders.” She stared at him. “You really are your father’s son.” Something changed in his expression. Cold. Immediate. Raven realized too late that she had struck something real. Lucian leaned closer. “Don’t.” One word. Quiet. No amusement. She could have pushed. Normally, she would have. Instead she held his gaze and said, “Fine.” The guards looked toward them. Lucian moved first. Raven stayed half a step behind him. She hated every second of it. The guard with the red sash spoke. “You’re far from your quarter.” Lucian’s posture changed. Not dramatically. Just enough. His shoulders straightened. His expression went blank. Power seemed to settle over him like another layer of clothing. Raven had seen pieces of it before. This was different. This was Lucian Vale in a place where his name meant something. “I go where I want,” he said. The guard’s eyes shifted to Raven. “And the human?” Raven opened her mouth. Lucian answered first. “Mine.” Her head snapped toward him. Excuse me? The guard looked at her again. Then at Lucian. Something almost knowing passed across his face. Raven felt her irritation spike. “Move,” Lucian said. The guard stepped aside. They passed beneath the arch. Raven waited until they had turned the corner. Then she grabbed Lucian’s sleeve. “Mine?” He kept walking. “It worked.” “You could have said guest.” “No.” “Companion.” “No.” “Hostage.” “That one would have raised questions.” Raven stopped. Lucian turned. “You are never calling me yours again.” His eyes moved slowly over her face. “Is that what bothered you?” “Yes.” “Interesting.” “What is that supposed to mean?” His gaze dropped. Just briefly. Then returned. “Nothing.” Raven stepped closer. “Say it.” “No.” “Coward.” That got a reaction. Small. His jaw tightened. She smiled. “There he is.” Lucian leaned down slightly. “Be careful.” Her pulse jumped. She ignored it. “With what?” “How much you enjoy provoking me.” Raven’s smile faded just a little. His voice had changed. Lower. Too calm. The air between them suddenly felt too warm for somewhere this cold. She refused to retreat. “Maybe you’re easy to provoke.” “Maybe you like seeing what happens.” For a moment, neither spoke. Raven’s heartbeat became irritatingly noticeable. Then voices echoed from the next passage. Lucian straightened. Whatever had been between them vanished behind his expression again. “Move.” Raven followed. This time she did not argue. Not because he told her to. Because she needed a second to get her thoughts back under control. The drag marks appeared again near a low arch at the edge of the underground street. Raven crouched. There. Deeper grooves cut into the dirt. Several sets of boot prints surrounded them. Ordered. Evenly spaced. Not the erratic movement of an attack. An escort. She touched one of the tracks. “These weren’t made by Hollowborn.” Lucian knelt beside her. “No.” She followed the line of prints toward the wall. Something had been pressed into the dirt. A symbol. A circle crossed by two straight lines. Raven froze. She knew that mark. She had seen it before. On the binding charm inside the courier’s satchel. Her fingers hovered over it. “That’s Adrian Cross’s symbol.” Lucian said nothing. Raven looked at him. “You know it.” His face gave her nothing. “Lucian.” “I know of it.” “That’s not what I asked.” “It’s the answer you’re getting.” She stood. Of course. There it was again. The wall. Every time she thought he might actually give her something useful, he shut the door. “Your father’s guards took her.” Lucian rose slowly. Raven pointed at the tracks. “But someone marked the trail.” His gaze lowered. “Someone working with Cross knew she would come through here.” Silence. Raven felt the pieces locking together. The satchel. The charm. The route. The missing courier. The fact that she had been seen walking willingly with someone before disappearing. This wasn’t random. It never had been. “She wasn’t grabbed by accident,” Raven said. Lucian’s eyes lifted to hers. “She was delivered.” He didn’t correct her. That bothered her. Lucian corrected everything. “To your father?” she asked. His jaw tightened. “Maybe.” “That’s not good enough.” “It’s all I have.” Raven looked down the passage. The drag marks continued into the dark. “So Cross has access to these tunnels.” Lucian said nothing. “Or someone who works for him does.” Still nothing. She turned. “You told me not to ask about the charm.” “I remember.” “I’m not asking anymore.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “That sounds dangerous.” “I’ve been told.” Raven stepped closer. “The courier was carrying something tied to Cross. She comes underground. Your father’s guards take her deeper. Someone leaves Cross’s mark behind like a breadcrumb.” Lucian watched her. “What are you thinking?” “That your father isn’t the only problem.” His expression hardened. “He rarely is.” That was the first real thing he’d said about him. Raven noticed. She also noticed he seemed to regret saying it. “Lucian—” “No.” She laughed once. “There it is.” “What?” “That thing you do.” “What thing?” “The second something becomes remotely personal, you turn into a brick wall.” “And you become louder.” “Maybe because you refuse to answer anything.” “Maybe because you ask questions that don’t concern you.” Raven stepped forward. “The courier concerns me.” “My father doesn’t.” “He does if he has her.” The words landed harder than she expected. Lucian’s expression changed again. Not anger. Something quieter. More dangerous. “You don’t know anything about him.” “Then tell me.” “No.” “Why?” His eyes locked onto hers. “Because I said no.” Raven let out a humorless laugh. “God, you’re infuriating.” “And you’re still here.” “Again, not for you.” “Again, of course.” That tone. She hated that tone. Raven stepped close enough that there was barely space between them. “You really think everything is about you.” “No.” Lucian looked down at her. “I think you keep finding reasons to stand this close.” Her breath caught. Just for a second. Damn him. Raven smiled instead. “Maybe I’m deciding where to stab you.” His gaze lowered to the knife at her hip. Then back to her face. “You’ve had several opportunities.” “Don’t tempt me.” “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Liar. Both of them. A distant door slammed. They looked toward the sound. The tension broke again. Raven hated how often that seemed to happen. Maybe that was better. Maybe if they ever got a full uninterrupted minute, one of them would do something stupid. Probably her. Definitely him. She looked down the passage again. The drag marks disappeared beneath another arch. “We keep going.” Lucian stared into the dark. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he nodded. This time there was no argument. No warning. No attempt to send her back. He simply moved beside her. Raven glanced at him. The distrust between them had not disappeared. Not even close. She still didn’t know what he wanted. She didn’t know what he was hiding. She didn’t know whether following him deeper into his father’s territory was the worst decision she had made all night. But now they were looking at the same trail. The same symbol. The same enemy. At least for the moment. That would have to be enough. They crossed beneath the arch together. Neither noticed the figure watching them from the balcony above.

The drag marks continued beneath the arch. Raven stared at them for a long second before looking at Lucian. “You knew this went farther.” “I knew there were tunnels.” “That is not the same thing.” “No,” he said. “It isn’t.” She narrowed her eyes. Lucian had a particular way of answering questions that made her want to either punch him or kiss him just to wipe the expression off his face. She hated that those had somehow become equally plausible options. “You are unbelievably irritating.” “And yet you keep following me.” “I am following the blood trail.” “Of course.” Raven stepped past him. His hand caught her arm. She looked down at it, then up at him. “You planning to keep doing that?” “Until you stop walking into things you don’t understand.” “You mean like demon territory?” His mouth twitched. “You walked into that willingly.” “And survived.” “Barely.” Raven pulled free. “You really enjoy taking credit for that.” “I enjoy being correct.” “There it is.” “There what is?” “The reason I cannot stand you.” Lucian leaned a little closer. “Only one reason?” Raven’s eyes dropped to his mouth before she could stop them. She recovered quickly. “Several.” “Good.” That answer irritated her more than it should have. She turned away. The red lanterns along the walls grew farther apart the deeper they went, until finally there were none at all. Lucian stopped. Raven nearly walked into him. “Again?” “This is where my father’s territory ends.” She looked past him. The tunnel ahead was different. The brickwork disappeared. The walls were older here. Black stone. Smooth in some places, cracked in others. Symbols had been carved into the surface so deeply they looked burned rather than cut. Raven moved closer. She knew some of them. Not enough. “That’s witch work.” “Some of it.” She glanced at him. “Some?” Lucian stepped beside her. “The city above wasn’t the first thing built here.” Raven looked back at the markings. He continued. “Ashvale has always had strange stories. Missing people. Houses where voices came through the walls. Children who wandered into the woods and came back speaking languages no one recognized.” “Sounds cheerful.” “It wasn’t.” “And everyone just stayed?” “Humans are remarkably committed to building cities on top of things they should avoid.” She snorted. “I’ll give you that.” Lucian ran his gaze along the carvings without touching them. “Long before the Veil lifted, witches knew something was wrong here.” Raven’s expression changed. “Seraphine never told me that.” “She might not know all of it.” “She knows everything.” “She believes she does.” Raven gave him a look. “You say that to her face.” “I prefer living.” That almost made her laugh. Almost. Lucian continued walking. Raven followed. “The Veil was thinner here than in most places. Not open. Just weak.” “And the witches tried to strengthen it.” “At first.” “At first?” Lucian glanced back at her. “They learned there were things already underneath it.” Raven slowed. “Already here?” “Yes.” “So the Veil lifting didn’t bring everything into Ashvale.” “No.” That answer sat heavier than she expected. She had always understood the lifting of the Veil as a beginning. The moment the world changed. The moment creatures stepped out of myth and into streets. The moment everything humans had once called impossible became simply another thing that could kill them. But if Lucian was right— some of those things had never crossed over. They had been waiting. Raven looked at the black stone around them. “What kind of things?” Lucian’s expression hardened. “The kind people stopped naming.” A chill moved across her skin. “The Unnamed.” He looked at her. “You’ve heard of them.” “Seraphine mentioned them once.” “Once?” “She stopped talking after I asked what they were.” “Smart.” “Annoying.” “Also smart.” Raven rolled her eyes. “So what did the witches do?” “They built containment wards beneath the city.” She looked again at the symbols. “These?” “Some of the oldest.” “How old?” “No one knows.” “That is an incredibly useful answer.” “I wasn’t there.” “You certainly act old enough.” Lucian stopped. Slowly, he turned toward her. Raven smiled sweetly. His eyes narrowed. “Careful.” “Or what?” He stepped closer. Raven’s back met the stone wall. She hadn’t realized how near it was. Lucian planted one hand beside her head. “Do you always provoke dangerous things?” “Only when they’re being smug.” His gaze drifted over her face. “And how has that strategy worked for you?” “So far?” She looked pointedly at the hand beside her head. “Pretty well.” Something shifted in his expression. Dark amusement. Interest. Maybe both. He leaned closer. Raven could feel the heat of him now. “You have a remarkable amount of confidence for someone currently trapped against a wall.” “You have a remarkable amount of confidence for someone assuming I feel trapped.” Silence. His eyes dropped to her mouth. Raven’s pulse jumped. Then— something scraped deeper in the tunnel. They both froze. Lucian turned his head. Raven exhaled through her nose. “Saved by whatever nightmare lives down here.” Lucian looked back at her. “You sound disappointed.” “I’m devastated.” He moved away. She hated the cold air that replaced him. They continued. The tunnel descended sharply. The farther down they went, the more markings appeared. Some were witch symbols. Others looked wrong. Not evil. Just wrong in a way Raven couldn’t explain. Shapes that hurt to follow with her eyes. Lines that seemed to change when she looked away. “What are those?” Lucian didn’t answer immediately. “Lucian.” “They predate the witch wards.” Raven stopped. “You said the witches were the first ones down here.” “No. I said they were the first ones who understood something was here.” “That is a very different sentence.” “Yes.” She stared at him. “You are exhausting.” “So I’ve been told.” “By everyone?” “Mostly people who survived knowing me.” “That was dramatic.” “I’m a demon.” “That excuse is getting old.” His mouth curved. The passage widened. And then Raven saw the first body. She stopped so suddenly Lucian nearly walked into her. A woman stood against the wall. Except stood was the wrong word. She was attached to it. Her arms had been bent behind her body and twisted into the stone somehow. Her spine curved at an impossible angle. One knee was pulled upward against her chest. White symbols glowed beneath her skin. Raven’s breath caught. Then the woman’s head moved. Very slowly. Her eyes opened. Raven stumbled back. “What the hell?” Lucian caught her by the waist. “The Knotted.” Raven stared. More shapes emerged as her eyes adjusted. Men. Women. Dozens. All bound into the walls. All alive. Some barely looked human anymore. A man’s ribs pushed outward beneath his skin, each bone glowing with the same pale markings. Another woman’s arms had been woven together above her head until Raven couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. “They’re alive.” “Yes.” “For how long?” Lucian’s voice went quiet. “Some of them may have been here before Ashvale had a name.” Raven looked at him. “That’s impossible.” “Not down here.” One of the Knotted inhaled. A dry, shuddering sound. Raven flinched. “What did this to them?” “The old witches.” Her face changed. “No.” “They needed anchors.” “For the wards.” “Yes.” Raven’s jaw tightened. “These were people.” “Some were witches.” “That doesn’t make it better.” “I didn’t say it did.” She looked at him sharply. Lucian met her eyes. No smirk. No sarcasm. Nothing. “The early covens were terrified,” he said. “They found things below the city they couldn’t kill, summon, banish, or send back because they had never crossed through the Veil in the first place.” Raven looked at the bodies again. “So they used people.” “Blood. Bone. Life.” Her stomach turned. “They turned them into living locks.” “Yes.” “Why living?” “Magic lasts longer when it has something alive to feed from.” Raven’s expression hardened. “That sounds like demon magic.” “It sounds like magic.” She looked at him. Lucian’s gaze stayed on the Knotted. “That is something humans and witches enjoy forgetting. Magic does not care who uses it. It does not become kinder because the hands drawing the symbol belong to someone you trust.” That one hit harder than she expected. Raven looked away. A voice drifted through the chamber. “Raven?” She froze. Eli. Her entire body reacted. “Raven?” Soft. Familiar. Scared. She stepped forward. Lucian’s arm snapped around her waist. “Don’t.” Raven’s back hit his chest. Her heart pounded. “Eli?” Lucian tightened his grip. “No.” She tried to move. His other hand caught her wrist. “Raven.” “He could have followed me.” “He didn’t.” “You don’t know that.” “I do.” “How?” “Because whatever is calling you wants you to argue with me.” Raven went still. The voice came again. “Rae?” Her throat tightened. Eli called her that. Not often. But enough. A figure stepped into view. It looked almost human. That was the worst part. A man’s body. A face Raven did not recognize. But the smile— Eli. The tilt of its head— Eli. The little crease beside the mouth— Eli. Wrong. Copied. Assembled from pieces of memory. Raven whispered, “The Borrowed.” Lucian’s mouth was near her ear. “Yes.” “It’s in my head.” “Not exactly.” The creature smiled. “You came for me.” Eli’s voice. Perfectly. Raven’s stomach twisted. Lucian said, “It pulls impressions from people nearby. Memory. Attachment. Fear.” “So it reads minds.” “No.” “Comforting distinction.” “It matters.” “How?” “Because it cannot take what you don’t give it.” Raven frowned. The Borrowed stepped closer. “You left me.” Raven’s chest tightened. Lucian felt it. His hand moved slightly against her waist. Grounding her. She hated how much it helped. “Raven.” She forced herself to look at him. “Not him.” “I know.” “Say it.” She swallowed. “That isn’t Eli.” The creature’s smile disappeared. Its face changed. Not shape. Expression. Suddenly it looked hurt. Eli hurt. That was worse. “You always leave.” Raven flinched. Lucian’s gaze sharpened. The Borrowed looked at him. Then smiled again. “Oh.” Lucian went still. Raven noticed. “What?” The creature spoke in a different voice. Male. Older. Cold. “You were always the weaker son.” Lucian’s face emptied. Raven turned toward him. The Borrowed continued. “You think she won’t see it?” His arm tightened around her. “Stop listening.” Raven looked at him. “Who is that?” “No one.” “That is absolutely someone.” “Raven.” The creature laughed. Eli’s laugh again. Then another voice. A woman. “You will become him eventually.” Lucian’s jaw flexed. Raven’s expression softened despite herself. “Your father?” Lucian looked at her. “Now is not the time.” “That is definitely a yes.” “You have astonishing priorities.” “You dragged me into family trauma territory.” “You followed me.” “Again, blood trail.” “Right.” The Borrowed hissed. Its smile stretched too wide. Then every Knotted body in the chamber moved. At once. Bones cracked. Heads turned. White symbols flared beneath dead-looking skin. Raven’s blood went cold. “What did we do?” “Nothing.” “Wonderful.” The chamber darkened. Something shifted behind the Borrowed. Raven watched part of the far wall unfold. No. Not wall. A body. Tall. Impossibly tall. It peeled itself away from the stone one limb at a time. Pale strips hung from it. Skin. Human skin. Not its own. The thing had no real face. Only smooth flesh where features should have been. Then a vertical slit opened from forehead to chin. Teeth filled it. Rows. And rows. Raven whispered, “Oh, absolutely not.” Lucian grabbed her hand. “The Unnamed.” “That is an Unnamed?” “Yes.” “It looks worse than the description.” “You were expecting better?” “I was expecting less teeth.” The creature stepped forward. Every Knotted body began shaking. Their glowing marks brightened. Raven stared. “It’s pulling from them.” Lucian’s expression hardened. “Yes.” “They’re feeding it.” “Yes.” “So the wards don’t just hold it.” “No.” Raven understood. “Oh.” Lucian looked at her. “The old witches didn’t trap the Unnamed by starving them.” “They made a system.” “A balance.” Raven looked sick. “Feed them just enough magic to keep them dormant.” “Exactly.” “And when the Veil lifted?” “The balance broke.” The Unnamed moved again. Not fast. It didn’t need to. “They woke up.” “Some did.” “Some?” Lucian pulled her backward. “Would you like the complete history lesson now?” “Actually yes.” “Raven.” “What?” “Run.” The Unnamed lunged. They ran. The Borrowed screamed behind them. Not one voice now. Dozens. Eli. Seraphine. A child crying. Lucian’s father. People Raven didn’t know. People Lucian did. The tunnel filled with them. Raven’s boot slipped. Lucian caught her. Again. His arms went around her. Her hands landed against his chest. For one second they were too close. Way too close. She could feel his breath. His heartbeat. His eyes dropped to her mouth. Raven stared at him. “This is really not the time.” “I am aware.” “You don’t look aware.” “You’re still holding onto me.” She looked down. She was. Her fingers were curled into the front of his shirt. Raven slowly released him. “You caught me.” “You stayed.” “Arrogant.” “Distracting.” Her eyes snapped up. “What?” Lucian’s expression changed like he realized he had said too much. Raven smiled. “Oh.” “Do not.” “You think I’m distracting.” “Move.” “That sounded dangerously close to a compliment.” The Unnamed struck the wall behind them. Stone cracked. Lucian grabbed her hand. “Raven.” “Fine.” They ran. The drag marks continued deeper. Raven noticed them again when they reached another junction. She stopped. Lucian swore. “What?” “The trail.” It went left. Deeper. Not back toward the chamber. Raven crouched. There was fabric on the ground. Brown. The courier’s coat. Lucian looked toward the passage. Raven found another mark beside it. A circle. Two lines through the center. Cross. Fresh. She stared. “He brought her through here.” Lucian’s face darkened. Raven stood. “He knew about the Knotted.” “Yes.” “He knew about the Borrowed.” “Probably.” “The Unnamed too.” Lucian looked at Cross’s symbol. “Yes.” Raven turned toward him. “So Cross didn’t stumble into any of this.” “No.” “He knows the old tunnels.” “Yes.” “And he’s using them.” Lucian looked toward the passage ahead. “That seems likely.” Raven sighed. “You know, sometimes I truly hate how calmly you say horrible things.” “It keeps me pleasant.” “You are not pleasant.” “You keep staying.” She stared at him. “You really want to die down here, don’t you?” Lucian smiled. “Not particularly.” The drag marks disappeared into the next tunnel. Raven looked after them. Lucian stepped beside her. “This is your opportunity to turn around.” She laughed once. “Still trying that?” “Yes.” “You know I’m not leaving.” “I know.” “Then why ask?” His gaze moved to her. “Because I would prefer you choose this.” The answer caught her off guard. For once there was no joke beneath it. Raven looked away. “Annoying.” “Coward.” Her head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” “You just spent the last hour telling me not to walk toward monsters.” “And now you are avoiding a conversation.” “That is completely different.” “Is it?” “Yes.” Lucian stepped closer. Raven folded her arms. “You are enjoying this.” “A little.” “I knew it.” His eyes held hers. “But I meant it.” Her expression softened slightly. He nodded toward the darkness. “You go farther, this stops being my father’s territory entirely.” “And becomes what?” “The old city.” “There’s an old city under Ashvale?” “Parts of one.” Raven blinked. “You were saving that?” “You never asked.” “I hate you.” “I know.” “No, genuinely.” “Of course.” She looked into the passage. “What’s down there?” Lucian’s smile disappeared. “Where the first covens built the original bindings.” “And Cross is taking people there.” “It appears so.” Raven pulled her knife. Lucian looked at it. “You do realize that knife has been useless for most of tonight.” “It makes me feel better.” “Reasonable.” She stared at him. “Was that agreement?” “Don’t get used to it.” Raven smiled despite herself. Then she looked back toward the dark. The courier was still ahead. Cross was still ahead. And beneath Ashvale was an entire history no one had bothered to tell her. She took one step forward. Lucian caught her hand. Raven looked down. Then at him. “What now?” He laced his fingers through hers. “To keep you from wandering off.” Her eyebrows lifted. “That’s your excuse?” “It is an excellent excuse.” “You could hold my wrist.” “I could.” “You could grab my sleeve.” “I could.” “But this is necessary?” His thumb moved once over her knuckles. “Apparently.” Raven tried very hard not to smile. “You’re shameless.” “You noticed.” They continued down together. Hand in hand. Neither mentioned it. And somewhere beneath them— something old moved through the stone. Not trapped. Not sleeping. Just waiting.

The passage opened into a wide hollow beneath Ashvale. Broken columns leaned at sharp angles in the dark. Old stone streets disappeared beneath dust, roots, and collapsed masonry. Buildings without roofs stood like hollow ribs beneath the city above them. Raven slowed as she stepped forward, taking it all in. A dead city. Buried under another one. The drag marks ended at a low ring of carved wards in the center of the street. Raven let go of Lucian’s hand and crouched. “This is it.” Lucian stood behind her, watching the darkness instead of the markings. “The old city.” Raven traced the edge of one symbol without touching it. “These aren’t like the ones upstairs.” “No.” “They’re older.” “Yes.” She looked over her shoulder. “You know, eventually I’m going to start charging you for every one-word answer.” His eyes moved to her. “You couldn’t afford me.” Raven stood. “See, that. That right there.” “What?” “That thing you do where you say something incredibly irritating like you expect me not to react.” Lucian stepped closer. “You always react.” “Because you’re unbearable.” “And yet here you are.” Her jaw tightened. He smiled. That smile was becoming a problem. A very specific problem. A flutter of warmth curled low in her stomach, annoying and immediate. Raven hated that arguing with him had started doing that to her. She hated even more that he seemed to know. Before she could say anything else, a voice drifted from behind a fallen column. “You made better time than I expected.” Raven’s knife was in her hand before she fully turned. Lucian moved at the same time. Not in front of her. Beside her. That detail did not escape her. A man stepped into the pale glow. Raven recognized him immediately. The watcher. The same stranger who had followed them through the tunnels days ago. The one who had disappeared every time she turned toward him. Now he leaned against the stone like he had been waiting for them. Like he owned the place. He was tall, lean, dressed in dark layers that blended into the ruins. A worn courier’s satchel crossed his chest. And hanging from his throat— a small metal charm. A circle crossed by two lines. Cross’s mark. Raven’s knife lifted. “You.” The man smiled. “I was wondering when you’d notice me properly.” “I noticed you.” “Eventually.” Lucian’s voice turned cold. “Choose your next sentence carefully.” The stranger looked at him. His smile widened. “Lucian Vale.” Lucian went still. The stranger pushed away from the column. “Interesting.” Raven glanced between them. “You know him?” “No,” Lucian said. The stranger laughed softly. “But I know you.” Lucian’s eyes hardened. “And your father.” That changed the air. Raven felt it immediately. Lucian stepped forward. “Say his name.” The stranger tilted his head. “Touchy.” “Say it.” “Lucian.” Raven’s hand caught his arm. He looked down at her fingers. Then at her. “I’ve got this.” “Clearly.” His eyebrow lifted. “Clearly?” “You’re doing the murder face.” “I have one face.” “No, you don’t.” The stranger chuckled. Raven looked at him. “You are enjoying this way too much.” “Watching the two of you?” His eyes moved between them. “Very much.” Lucian’s attention snapped back to him. The man smiled. “There it is.” Raven frowned. “There what is?” “That.” He gestured loosely between them. “The part where he forgets everything else in the room the second someone looks at you too long.” Raven’s pulse jumped. Lucian’s expression went flat. “Careful.” The stranger looked amused. “Oh, I am.” Raven crossed her arms. “Can we focus?” “You’re blushing.” “I am not.” “You are.” She looked at Lucian. “Say something.” His gaze moved over her face. Very slowly. “You are.” Raven stared at him. “Traitor.” His mouth twitched. A rush of warmth slid lower in her body. She hated him. Probably. Maybe. The stranger laughed again. “You two are exhausting.” “You’ve known us for five minutes,” Raven said. “I’ve been watching you longer than that.” Lucian moved before Raven could. One second he was beside her. The next he had the stranger by the throat against the column. Raven blinked. “Lucian.” The stranger didn’t look afraid. If anything, he looked entertained. “You should really work on that temper.” Lucian’s grip tightened. “You’ve been following her.” “Following both of you.” “You said her.” “Did I?” “Lucian.” Raven stepped closer. He ignored her. The stranger’s smile thinned. “Cross was right about you.” That got his attention. Lucian released him hard enough that the stranger stumbled. Raven’s eyes narrowed. “You work for Cross.” The man adjusted his collar. “I carry things for him.” “That isn’t an answer.” “It is exactly an answer.” Raven stepped forward. “What do you carry?” His gaze dropped briefly to her knife. “Messages.” “What else?” “People.” Her stomach tightened. The humor left her face. “The courier.” The stranger said nothing. Raven moved closer. “Where is she?” “Alive.” Relief hit hard and fast. Then suspicion followed it. “For now?” The stranger smiled faintly. “For now.” Lucian stepped beside Raven again. “Where?” The man’s gaze shifted between them. “At the center.” Raven frowned. “The center of what?” “The first binding.” Silence. Raven’s skin prickled. Lucian looked toward the ward circle at their feet. “You brought her here.” “I didn’t.” “Cross did.” “I carry messages.” “You just said people.” “Sometimes.” Raven’s voice sharpened. “Stop playing with me.” The stranger looked at her. Something in his face changed. Not fear. Interest. “You really don’t know.” “Know what?” “Why he wants you.” Lucian’s blade was out. The stranger looked at it. “Predictable.” “Answer her.” “Lucian.” His jaw tightened. Raven looked at him. “I can speak for myself.” “I know.” “You keep doing that.” “Doing what?” “Stepping in.” “I’m standing beside you.” “You were about to threaten him.” “I am threatening him.” The stranger sighed dramatically. “There it is again.” Raven looked at him. “Shut up.” He smiled. “You really do like him.” Her face went hot. Lucian turned his head toward her. Slowly. Raven glared at the stranger. “One more comment.” “What?” “And I stab you.” “See, that’s exactly the kind of answer Cross said you’d give.” That stopped her. Raven’s expression changed. “What did you say?” The stranger’s smile faded. “He knows you.” “No, he doesn’t.” “He knows enough.” “How?” “He’s been asking questions.” Lucian went still. “What questions?” “About the human woman who crosses boundaries she has no business crossing.” Raven’s grip tightened around the knife. The stranger continued. “The one who keeps company with witches.” His eyes moved to Lucian. “And demons.” Lucian’s voice dropped. “Who told him?” “People talk.” “People die too.” Raven looked at Lucian. “Can you not?” He looked at her. “He’s threatening you.” “He’s explaining.” “He’s enjoying it.” “So are you.” His eyes narrowed. “That makes no sense.” “You enjoy having a reason to be violent.” “I do not need a reason.” “That was not the defense you thought it was.” The stranger laughed. Lucian looked at him. The laugh stopped. Raven almost smiled. Almost. She hated how attractive he was when he did that. Actually, she hated a lot of things about Lucian that apparently translated directly into a dangerous sort of warmth inside her. His voice. His temper. That stupid look in his eyes every time she challenged him. The way he stood too close without ever apologizing for it. The way he made anger feel dangerously similar to wanting. Raven shifted her weight. Lucian noticed. Of course he did. His eyes flicked down. Then back up. “Problem?” “No.” “Liar.” Her pulse jumped. The stranger looked between them. “Oh, this is worse than I thought.” Raven pointed the knife at him. “Focus.” He lifted his hands. “Gladly.” He reached into the satchel. Lucian’s blade rose. “Slowly.” The stranger rolled his eyes. “You really are your father’s son.” Lucian’s entire body changed. Raven saw it happen. The humor disappeared. The tension. Everything. Just gone. His expression went empty. Dangerously empty. Raven stepped between them before she thought better of it. “Enough.” Lucian looked at her. “Move.” “No.” “Raven.” “I said no.” Something passed between them. His eyes held hers. Close. Too close. She could feel the anger rolling off him. And something beneath it. Something wounded. Something she suddenly wanted to understand. The realization irritated her. “You don’t get to order me around,” she said. His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Interesting time to remind me.” A rush of warmth climbed through her, sharp and embarrassing. Raven swallowed. His eyes darkened. Oh, he noticed. Of course he noticed. Lucian leaned slightly closer. “Still want me to move?” Her heart slammed against her ribs. “Still want me to make you?” His mouth curved. The stranger cleared his throat. “Should I leave?” Raven turned so fast her hair whipped over her shoulder. “Do not.” He grinned. Lucian stepped away, but not before his fingers brushed Raven’s waist. Deliberately. The bastard. The stranger pulled something from the satchel. A metal charm. He dropped it. It struck the stone and rolled across the floor. Raven caught it beneath her boot. Cross’s symbol. She crouched and picked it up. Warm. Too warm. Like someone had been holding it moments ago. Her expression changed. “What is this?” “A message.” “You said you carried messages.” “I do.” “What does it mean?” The stranger looked at her. “He said you’d understand.” Raven turned the charm over. The back was covered in markings. Old ones. The same kind carved into the tunnels. She stared. Lucian stepped closer. His shoulder brushed hers. “What?” “I’ve seen this pattern.” “Where?” “The Knotted.” Lucian’s expression hardened. Raven looked back at the stranger. “He’s making more.” The man said nothing. Her stomach dropped. “He’s binding people.” “He calls it maintaining the old system.” Raven’s face twisted. “That isn’t maintenance.” “No.” “It’s sacrifice.” “Yes.” Lucian’s jaw tightened. “And the courier?” “Alive.” “Bound?” The stranger’s silence answered. Raven’s blood went cold. “Where?” “At the center of the old city.” “How far?” “Far enough.” Raven stepped toward him. “Take us.” “No.” Lucian smiled without humor. “Wrong answer.” The stranger looked at him. “I was told to bring you the charm.” “By Cross.” “Yes.” “And then?” “To invite you.” Raven stared. “Invite us where?” “To him.” Silence. The stranger backed slowly toward the ruins behind him. Raven’s fingers tightened around the charm. “He knows we’re coming.” “He hoped you would.” “That means trap.” “Obviously.” Lucian looked at Raven. “We leave.” She laughed once. “No.” “Raven.” “The courier is alive.” “And Cross wants you.” “Then he can have the pleasure of seeing me show up.” Lucian stepped closer. “He wants something from you.” “And I want answers.” “He knows your name.” “So do you.” His eyes narrowed. “That is not the same thing.” “No?” “No.” Raven stared at him. The stranger’s voice cut between them. “This is adorable.” They both turned. “Run,” Lucian said. The stranger grinned. Then he did. Lucian lunged. The man disappeared between two collapsed buildings. Fast. Far too fast for a normal human. Lucian stopped at the edge of the ruins. Raven came up behind him. “What?” “He isn’t human.” “You’re just figuring that out?” Lucian looked at her. “You knew?” “I suspected.” “Based on what?” “The creepy lurking.” “That is your evidence?” “It was strong evidence.” Lucian stared at her. She shrugged. “What?” “You are impossible.” “And yet here you are.” His mouth twitched. Raven smiled. “Yeah. I can do it too.” He stepped closer. “Oh, I noticed.” The air shifted again. That same charge. That same stupid pull. Raven looked up at him. “You really need to stop doing that.” “Doing what?” “Standing like that.” He glanced down at himself. “Existing?” “Smugly.” “Is that affecting you?” “No.” “Liar.” A rush of warmth pooled low in her body. Raven hated her body. Lucian’s eyes darkened. He took one slow step closer. “Interesting.” “Say it.” “Say what?” “Whatever stupid thing is sitting behind that smile.” He leaned down. His mouth hovered near her ear. “You get angry when you want something.” Her breath caught. Raven turned her head. Their faces were inches apart. “And you talk too much when you’re trying not to admit you want the same thing.” His eyes dropped to her lips. Silence stretched. The city around them disappeared for half a second. No Cross. No wards. No dead streets. Just him. Just her. Just that unbearable heat. Raven’s fingers curled around the front of his shirt. Lucian looked down at her hand. Then back at her. His voice went lower. “Careful.” “Why?” “Because eventually I’m going to stop assuming you don’t mean it.” Her pulse hammered. “Maybe you should.” A sound echoed through the ruins. Metal against stone. They both turned. The moment snapped. Raven released him. Lucian exhaled slowly. “Your timing is terrible.” She glanced at him. “My timing?” “You started it.” “I did not.” “You grabbed me.” “You got in my face.” “You told me to.” “I told you to say something.” “You are arguing semantics.” “I am winning.” He stared at her. Raven smiled. Lucian shook his head. “Unbelievable.” She looked toward the dark street where the stranger had disappeared. Then down at Cross’s charm in her hand. The markings along the back had begun to glow. Faintly. One symbol at a time. Creating a path. Lucian saw it too. “He wanted us to follow.” “I know.” “It’s a trap.” “I know.” “He may know exactly what you are going to do.” Raven looked at him. “Then he should know better.” Lucian drew his blade. Raven tucked the charm into her pocket. The courier was alive. Cross knew her name. The watcher was something other than human. And somewhere deeper beneath Ashvale, someone had begun rebuilding a system of blood, bone, and magic that should have died centuries ago. Raven looked into the buried city. “Ready?” Lucian stepped beside her. “Absolutely not.” She smiled. “Good.” They started walking. After several steps, Lucian caught her hand. Raven looked down. Their fingers laced together. Again. She looked up at him. “You’re doing this on purpose now.” “Yes.” At least he admitted it. Raven tried not to smile. Failed. And together they followed Cross’s glowing mark deeper into the ruins.