Page 131 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

“Cy,” she murmured, her palm brushing over my cheek.

I missed this version of her.

Missed it until I remembered what she probably had to take to be this version. My gaze flicked to Dad, but he seemed calm. At ease.

“Hey, Ma,” I muttered, accepting the hug she offered with all the enthusiasm of a frog offering a ride to a scorpion. Her moods were just as volatile.

“What’s going on?” she asked, lowering herself onto the couch between Dad and Orion. I dragged my office chair closer with a metallic clank, then turned it backward and straddled it.

“We had a run-in with our thief last night.”

“Nix reported it,” Dad said, the easy smile he’d worn slipping away. His posture shifted into something sharper, more regal. The king taking the reins.

“How detailed was that report?”

“Concise,” Ma replied. “Just said you got what you went for, despite a scuffle.”

“Scuffle,” I scoffed. I tugged my neckline down, revealing the new scar seared across my shoulder. The effect was immediate—her body froze, eyes darting from the wound to my face.

“Vampire?” she demanded. Her voice lost its warmth, tone hardening into the Paladin Queen.

“Siphon,” I corrected, bracing for impact. But instead of outrage, she and Dad exchanged a heavy glance, sinking deeper into the couch as if the word physically weighed them down.

“Cyrus—” Orion started.

I lifted a hand, cutting him off. I had to stomach my parents’ opinions—as both their son and subject—but their Guardians didn’t get the same courtesy.

“There’s more,” I said. Dad’s fingers slipped between hers, tightening, like he could keep this peaceful version of her anchored a moment longer. “The thief responded to the name Valora. I don’t think she meant to—but she did.”

“That’s not possible,” Ma snapped. Ah. There she was. The Queen again.

“I have a theory,” I said, taking a breath. “You’re not gonna like it, but I need you to hear me out. If she’s targeting us, we have to assume there’s strategy behind it. And I need as much intel as possible on your old Second.”

She stiffened. But I pressed on. “I get that you don’t wanna acknowledge this. But she’s been attacking in a pattern—precise, brutal, strategic. Let me protect this family. Let me do what you asked me to do.”

Silence.

Nothing.

Neither of them said a word. Which told me everything.

What the hell had they been doing last night that made this version of them so…quiet?

“What trials did she select for her Crucible?”

The Crucible consisted of three trials, followed by a duel. Any nominee could select from over a hundred options in the Accords. In my twelve hours of forced solitude, I’d had plenty of time to think. And the more I studied her movements in the present, the more familiar they seemed. Too familiar.

“Hearthkeeper,” Dad murmured, eyes drifting far away. “Shadowed Path. And Illumination.”

Fuck me.

“Okay,” I said slowly. “How’d she complete them?”

“Her Trial of Illumination culminated in exposing a conspiracy. A usurper in the line. She was skilled at infiltration and deception. That one brought her to the Guard’s attention—and the Council’s.”

“It’s rare to survive the second,” Orion added, his gaze sharp on me.

“Which did she complete next?” I asked, already knowing I’d hate the answer.