Page 73 of Shadowkissed

By the timewe get to Dante’s loft, the rain’s let up—but the tension’s thicker than ever. The moment we step inside, he slams the wards into place, reinforcing every barrier, every lock, every ancient protective spell carved into the walls like they’re holy scripture.

The rebels fan out, quiet and watchful. Mara’s already stripping weapons from her belt and lining them along the window ledge like she’s done this before. Probably has.

The loft doesn’t feel like a home anymore. It feels like a war bunker.

And I’m the weapon everyone’s trying to figure out how to use.

I curl up on the far end of the couch, knees pulled to my chest, hair still damp, hands shaking like I’m trying to hold lightning and failing.

Dante kneels in front of me, voice low. “Talk to me.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Start with what youfeel.”

My laugh is bitter. “Like something cracked inside me, and if I take too deep a breath, I’ll burn the whole world down.”

He doesn’t flinch. Just cups the side of my face, thumb brushing under my eye. “Then we’ll figure out how to put it back together.”

His touch calms the worst of the shaking. But it doesn’t douse the fire.

Nothing can.

Later, after I’ve changed and Mara’s made something warm enough to drink, the rebels gather in the loft’s center—quiet, serious, andwatching me.

I don’t like it.

“Okay,” I say, standing. “Spit it out. You didn’t come through hellfire with me to sit and stare.”

It’s the older rebel—Rhiem—who finally speaks. His voice is scratchy, like his throat’s half-sand.

“You’re not just dark fae.”

I cross my arms. “Yeah, I figured that out when Seraphiel stopped treating me like prey and started treating me like prophecy all those years ago.”

Mara steps in. “He calls youlittle starfor a reason.”

“Cute nickname,” I mutter, but my stomach twists.

“You’re part celestial,” she says, firm. “Your mother wasn’t full-blooded fae. She was a starborn—an echo of the first light. A thread of the original balance before the Veil ever existed.”

I blink. “That’s not real.”

“Itis,” Rhiem says. “You’re living proof.”

The shadows around me thrum, restless. “Why didn’t Thorne tell me this?”

Mara and Rhiem exchange a glance.

“He knew,” she says. “He’s always known. That’s why he’s kept you hidden. Why he trained you to suppress everything.”

“Thatbastard,” I whisper, heart pounding.

“He was trying to protect you,” she says. “And the rest of the world. Because what you carry, Liora… it’s not just dangerous.”

“It’s world-ending,” Rhiem finishes.

I sit back down hard, chest tight. “He said Seraphiel needed me. That our union would unmake the Veil.”

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