Chapter 26 · Untitled Chapter

The thing under the wolf skull got one black claw around my wrist and pulled.

Not hard. Not yet.

That was worse somehow.

My shoulder jerked against the iron straps pinning me to the stone chair. Blood slid down my forearm from the cut Vera had made, warm and stupidly bright against the black grooves carved into the floor.

Ronan hit the circle on one knee.

“Quinn.”

His voice came out rough. Barely a voice at all.

He had one hand pressed over the hole in his side. The other was flat over my ring, blood running between his fingers and soaking into the silver band.

The ring drank it.

I felt it happen.

A hot pull shot up my arm, crossed my chest, then slammed straight into Ronan. He threw his head back so fast I heard his teeth crack together.

Vera stared at him from the other side of the ritual floor.

“You idiot,” she said.

He gave her a red smile. “Been called worse.”

“Take your hand off her.”

“No.”

The claw tightened around my wrist.

I sucked in a breath. Its skin—or whatever the hell it was—felt like wet leather pulled over ice.