Chapter 26 · Broken Loyalty

"Do it. Now," Varis hissed, his voice dripping with a sick kind of glee.

Kaelen’s hand was already there. His fingers were locked around Sloane’s throat, pinning her against the cold stone wall of the lab. The pressure was real. It was terrifying. Sloane could feel the callouses of his palm, the slight tremor in his arm—not from fear, but from a violent, internal war. His eyes weren't his own. The deep gold was gone, replaced by a flat, vacant silver that mirrored the obsidian crystal Varis held.

"Kaelen, look at me," Sloane gasped, her voice scraping against her windpipe. She clawed at his wrist, her nails digging into his skin. "Stop. You're... you're stronger than this."

"He can't hear you, little witch," Varis laughed. He stepped closer, the Forbidden Book tucked under his arm like a trophy. He reached out and flicked Kaelen’s ear, as if he were a well-trained hound. "He’s not a boy anymore. He’s a tool. My tool. Now, kill her. Rip the throat out. I want to see the light leave those eyes."

Kaelen’s grip tightened. Sloane felt the air vanish.