Chapter 32 · The Seal Belongs to No Throne

The first thing Lio heard was Cael’s heartbeat.

It did not beat like a human heart anymore.

It struck the dark in slow, metallic blows—clang, clang, clang—each pulse sending silver fractures through the black corridor of his mind. The throne behind her had vanished. So had the chains. The third seal burned in her palm, no larger than a coin, its surface etched with a crown split down the middle.

Cael lay at her feet.

His body was curled on the glass floor, one hand pressed to the hollow beneath his ribs. Silver light leaked between his fingers. His eyes were open, but there was no focus in them.

“Cael.” Lio dropped beside him. “Look at me.”

His gaze moved slowly, dragging itself toward her face.

For one breath, he looked like the man she had wanted to strangle.

For the next, he looked like a corpse wearing his skin.

“Did you get it?” he whispered.

Lio closed her fingers around the seal. It was hot enough to sting. “You tell me.”

His mouth twitched. “You’re still angry.”

“I’m considering several creative ways to kill you.”

“Good.” His breath shuddered. “Means you’re still here.”

The corridor trembled.