Chapter 166

Draven’s POV

I cradled Maeve’s body against my chest. Her skin was ice- cold, and with each passing second her heartbeat slowed. I tightened my grip, my amber eyes sweeping over the scene ahead: Zephyra, Seraphine, Marcello, Nyxara, Gwyn, and the handful of Council witches who had stayed out of the war were racing to complete every element of the ritual. They moved with harried precision, gathering sigils, candles, and the chalk lines that would contain the magic.

My gaze drifted to Lennox, kneeling beside Valerius’s inert form not far off. I drew a shaky breath and turned back to the silver binding coiled around Maeve’s neck. Zephyra had insisted it would buy us enough time—slow the dark magic from fully engulfing her until we could perform the ritual. We needed Maeve’s consciousness intact for this to succeed. Then my jaw clenched: the silver b