Page 66 of Shadowkissed

The rebellion is small now—three witches, one half-fallen soldier, and a dying elemental who pretends she’s mute. There are even a few demons who are tempted to betray him, I’ve heard it. But they are more weary.

But it’s enough.

Ithasto be.

Because the moment Seraphiel finds out Dante remembers it’ll be too late to run.

So I won’t run. Not this time. I’ll fight.

I’llburnthis whole damn court to the ground if it means getting back to him.

At least this time, I’m not fighting alone.

32

DANTE

The moment it hits, my knees give out.

Not from pain—though ithurts, gods ithurts—but from the force of it. A sudden burn at the center of my chest, sharp and bright andalive.

A pulse.

One beat. Then another.

It’s like a second heart kicks to life inside me, waking up from months—years—of stillness. I can barely breathe around it. And then Ifeelher.

A whisper of shadows and fire. A sliver of magic so familiar it punches through the fog still clinging to my memories.

Liora.

Not a dream. Not a ghost.Real.Alive. Calling me.

I stumble toward the edge of my warded circle, grabbing the tracking runes I carved in the floor with a shaking hand and pressing my palm down. “Come on. Come on—show me where you are.”

The spell flares to life, tracing the signature in the pulse she sent.

Coordinates render in light. Strange glyphs. Unstable readings. Fuck.

Underworld plane. Tier Seven.

I clench my jaw so hard it cracks.

Seraphiel.

Ofcourseit’s him. I knew it.

I don’t need the rest of the memories to fill in to know it. My instincts scream it before the magic even confirms it.

She’s in his fucking court.

“There’s only one shot to breach the gate,” Tamsin tells me later that night, her mismatched eyes locked on mine from across her ruined dining room table. “During the eclipse.”

I called her over once memories came back. Her name was on the list I was trying to remember and as things started to drift back, I knew I needed more intel on what I was thinking about getting myself into.

I nod. “Yeah. I figured.”

She raises a brow. “Youfigured?You know how many people have tried that and didn’t come back with their souls intact?”

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