Kieran's POV
The pain hit me the second the vase shattered.
Sharp. Burning. Right through my chest where the Protector bond lived.
Aria was scared. Hurt. Alone.
And I couldn't do anything about it.
Not yet.
I gripped the edge of the rooftop, my knuckles turning white. Shadows swirled around my feet like living smoke, responding to my anger. Two hundred and forty-seven years old, and I still couldn't control my rage when it came to her.
"Two more days," I growled to myself. "Just two more days."
Below me, Aria stumbled out of the flower shop carrying a trash bag. Even from up here, I could see how thin she was. How tired. The woman who called herself her aunt had been slowly destroying her for eighteen years.
Moira Thornewood. Or rather, Moira Shadowveil.
I'd figured out her true identity three months ago. A disgraced Luminae. A traitor. The woman who helped murder Aria's parents.
And she'd been poisoning their daughter ever since.
My hands started to glow with dark magic. It would be so easy. One shadow blade through the heart. Moira would be dead before she knew what hit her.
But if I killed her now, the Shadow Conclave would know someone was protecting Aria. They'd send more enemies. Stronger ones. And Aria's powers hadn't awakened yet, which meant she couldn't defend herself.
I had to wait.
Even though every instinct I had screamed at me to grab Aria and run.
The Protector bond pulsed in my chest—a constant, aching reminder that my charge was suffering. For eighteen years, I'd felt her pain. Her loneliness. Her sadness. It was like drowning slowly, day after day, knowing she was out there and I couldn't find her.
Until six months ago.
The glamour spell hiding her magical signature had started to crack. Little by little, I'd felt her getting closer to her awakening. And I'd finally tracked her here.
To this miserable town. This cold flower shop. This woman who pretended to be family while feeding Aria poison disguised as tea.
I watched Aria kneel in the alley, talking to Obsidian.
The ancient fae lord had found her first. He'd been stuck in cat form for two decades, cursed for refusing to betray Aria's mother during the massacre. When he'd discovered Aria six months ago, he'd sent me a message through our mental link: Found her. Get here now.
I'd shadow-traveled across three states in seconds.
And then I'd seen her.
Aria Luminae. The last heir of the most powerful magical bloodline in history.
She was supposed to be a warrior princess. A queen of light and life.
Instead, she was a broken girl who thought she was worth nothing.
It made me want to burn the entire world down.
"I just wish someone would see me," Aria's voice drifted up to me. "Really see me. Like I matter."
My chest tightened.
I see you, I wanted to shout. I've been searching for you for eighteen years. You matter more than anything in this world or the next.
But I stayed silent. Hidden.
Because she wasn't ready yet.
Obsidian hissed suddenly, his fur standing on end. He was looking right at me, his green eyes glowing with warning.
She's looking up, he sent through our mental link. You're going to scare her, you idiot.
Too late.
Aria's eyes found mine.
Even in the darkness, even from this distance, I felt the connection snap between us. The Protector bond flared to life, stronger than it had ever been.
She could feel me. Not consciously. Not yet. But some part of her recognized that I was here for her.
I should have moved back. Hidden myself better.
But I couldn't.
For eighteen years, I'd been searching. Waiting. Hoping.
And now she was right there.
My eyes started to glow—silver light I couldn't control when my emotions ran too high. A side effect of the Protector bond. When she was close, my magic responded to her presence.
Aria's face went pale.
She could see my eyes. See the magic.
Move, you fool! Obsidian's voice screamed in my head.
But before I could shadow-travel away, something else caught my attention.
Dark magic.
Thick and oily, pouring out of the flower shop like smoke.
Moira was casting a spell.
I focused my senses, reading the magical signatures in the air. My blood turned to ice.
She was strengthening the suppression spell on Aria. Making it tighter. Stronger.
Because she'd felt it too—Aria's awakening was coming early.
The glamour spell was cracking faster than anyone expected. Aria's eighteenth birthday was in two days, but her powers were already starting to leak through.
Which meant Moira was going to move up her timeline.
She wasn't going to wait for the birthday. She was going to try to take Aria tonight.
"No," I snarled.
Aria had already run inside, terrified of what she'd seen. I didn't blame her. To human eyes, I probably looked like a monster.
But I'd rather have her fear me than die at Moira's hands.
I pulled out my phone and sent a quick message to my team—the Midnight Court warriors who'd been helping me search for Aria.
Target located. Enemy making her move tonight. Get here NOW.
Then I sent another message. This one to Aria's phone.
She needed to know she wasn't alone. That someone was watching over her.
Even if she didn't understand yet.
I typed quickly: Two more days, Aria. Then everything changes. We've been waiting for you. Stay safe until then. —A Friend
It wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough to explain everything she needed to know.
But it would have to do.
I watched her bedroom light turn on. Watched her shadow move behind the curtain as she read my message.
Through the bond, I felt her fear spike.
I'm sorry, I thought, knowing she couldn't hear me. I'm so sorry I can't tell you everything yet. But I promise—I will protect you. No matter what it costs me.
The dark magic from the shop grew stronger.
I could feel Moira's spell wrapping around the building like chains. She was sealing the exits. Making sure Aria couldn't run.
My jaw clenched.
Not on my watch.
I was about to shadow-travel into Aria's room when my phone buzzed.
A message from Zara, my second-in-command:
We've got a problem. The Shadow Conclave is mobilizing. They're sending a strike team to your location. ETA: fifteen minutes.
My heart stopped.
Fifteen minutes.
They were coming for Aria tonight. Right now.
And her powers hadn't awakened yet, which meant she had no way to defend herself.
I looked down at the flower shop. At the window where Aria's light still burned.
The roses in the shop window had started to glow. Silver light—just like the magic that ran through Luminae blood.
Her powers were breaking through the suppression spell.
She was awakening early.
Which meant everything was about to go very, very wrong.
I had two choices: Go in now and reveal myself before she was ready, or wait and risk the Conclave getting to her first.
Neither option was good.
But I'd made a vow eighteen years ago, standing over her parents' bodies.
I will protect their daughter. No matter what. Even if it costs me everything.
I stepped off the rooftop, shadows catching me before I hit the ground.
Time was up.
Ready or not, Aria was about to learn the truth.
And I just hoped she'd forgive me for what came next.
Inside the shop, something exploded.
Moira screamed.
And Aria's bedroom window shattered as silver light erupted into the night sky.
Her powers had just awakened.
Two days early.
And every enemy within a hundred miles could now feel exactly where she was.