Chapter 48. The Courtâ€s Demand

The Hidden Spring Caves were a hollow wound in the earth, far beneath the eastern flank of the Crest Ridge. Kade had used them during his youth, a place for training when he needed absolute silence or during self-imposed exile when his duty choked him. Now, they were a sanctuary for two fugitives and a silent chamber for the birth of a new power.Aria sat curled beside a cold, slow-running underground stream, the sound of the dripping water the only thing that managed to penetrate the constant, low-frequency roar of the bond. Her new state felt like wearing a suit of armor made of pure energy—heavy, terrifying, and profoundly secure. The Moon Wolf essence, once a foreign invader, was now perfectly integrated, flowing through her veins as liquid silver, anchored by the stable, unshakeable copper-red of her flame core.Kade sat opposite her, his back against the damp stone, the crystalline flame dagger Aria had created resting in his lap. He had not slept. Sleep now felt redundant, a wa