Page 51 of Shadowkissed

He wraps his arms around me and holds me tighter than the fear. But even wrapped in Dante, the darkness still lingers in the corners of my mind. Because Seraphiel doesn’t bluff.

And he never loses.

24

DANTE

She’s gone.

Not just stepped-outside-for-air gone.

Gone.

No note. No scent trail. No shadows slipping down the hallway. Nothing but cold sheets and silence.

I’m up fast, heart slamming in my chest like it’s trying to warn me before my brain can catch up. I check the window—open. Barely. Like she didn’t want to leave it that way, but couldn’t quite shut it either.

Shedidsay goodbye. I feel it in my bones. But I don’t remember hearing the words. Not how. And that’s the part that fucking kills me because I can’t remember if it was part of a dream or actually happened. Was I that tired?

I press my palm to the pillow she used. Still faintly warm. Still carrying that barely-there scent of night and ruin and something that could’ve beenhome.

"Shit."

I sit back, drag both hands down my face, and let myself feel the spike of helplessness for exactly three seconds before I shove it back down where it belongs.

Panic doesn’t help her.

Actiondoes.

My notebook’s on the table, half-covered in old bounty notes and sketchy coffee rings.

I tear out a fresh page and start making a list.

People I can call. People Imightbe able to trust. People who might not immediately sell us out for political leverage or old grudges.

The list’s shorter than I’d like.

Tamsin.She owes me. Big time. Knows her way around Veil fractures and doesn’t ask too many questions—so long as you pay up front and bleed a little.

Sasha, Fire-born.Rogue elemental with a temper worse than mine, but if I tell her the Veil’s cracking? She might come out of hiding. Might. If she’s not already dust.

Eli from PEACE.Risky. But he’s not a sellout like the rest. Hates the council almost as much as I do.

I underline his name twice, then circle it.

Nico.Fae-blood smuggler. Total asshole. But he knows the old magic, and I need someone who’s not afraid of Seraphiel’s name. Might be the only one whowantsto see him fall.

I stare at the list.

Not enough. But it’s a start.

I tap the pen against the table, breathing hard.

“If I find out you left to protect me,” I mutter under my breath, “I’m gonna lose my damn mind.”

Iknewthis was coming.

She was quieter yesterday. A little distant. Like she’d already decided something but couldn’t say it out loud. I should’ve seen the signs. Should’ve locked the damn window, warded the place tighter.

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