Chapter 36 · The Final Verdict

“Get away from her, you fucking monster!”

Silas screamed, his voice cracking. He slammed his palm onto the obsidian sphere, and a wave of void energy ripped through the floor, shredding the marble into jagged shards.

The shockwave hit my boots, but I didn't budge. I couldn't. Cain’s hand was clamped around my waist, fingers digging into my hip. *You aren't going anywhere.*

He was a living furnace. The heat radiating off him should've burned me, but instead, it felt like the only thing keeping me standing.

“Is that all you've got, Silas?” Cain’s voice was a low growl, vibrating right through my spine. He stepped forward, pulling me flush against his chest. “You're shaking. Why are you shaking?”

“Shut up!” Silas roared, eyes bloodshot. “The Old Blood Law is absolute! You can't bond with a defect! The purge will tear you both apart from the inside out!”

I looked up at Cain. His eyes weren't just gold anymore—they were swirling with a dark, forbidden current. I could feel his heart hammering against my shoulder. Fast. Violent. Perfectly synced with mine.

“The law is a joke,” Cain spat.