Page 312 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

“We ask less nicely.”

Aren grinned. “Good. If everything goes to shit—walk away. Your life’s worth more than a relic. If anyone can find another path, it’s Ally.”

“It’ll work,” Freya said without hesitation. “Or Ally wouldn’t have sent all of us. How long until they move on the East Coast?”

“Thirty minutes. Expect reaper bullets.”

Carr slipped into my mind. Orders?

Keep my mother off my trail. Overwatch duty. Cali—keep reading. See if you can identify Adrastos’s real lineage. He threatened my mate.

Death warrant issued and signed, she replied coolly. God, I loved my sister.

Calypso grabbed my elbow at the base of the stairs, yanking me down to kiss my cheek.

“Love you, jackass. Don’t die.”

Grinning, I said, “I’ll try.”

As Lana passed us, she muttered, “No promises.”

Carr snorted. “Like mother, like daughter. I say—watch your back, my Prince.”

Twenty minutes later, suited in white tactical gear, packs secured, blades and mags tucked tight—we stood atop the northern ridge. Lana was already posted for aerial overwatch, her silhouette sharp against the ice-bitten sky.

Below, the Balaskas estate sprawled like a goddamned fortress in glass—modern brutalist architecture carved into the side of the mountain, sleek parapets and far too many windows for my taste.

We ran through the plan one last time. Then, on Alvara’s count, Freya, Ansel, and I jumped to the outer perimeter of the wards.

We advanced from the west—straight up what could only be described as a cliff face from hell.

“I’m from the south,” I muttered dryly, my words solidifying in the air in front of my face. Fuck, it was ball-freezing brutal here. “We don’t do cold.”

“Then go home,” Freya said mildly, fingers brushing the bowstring across her chest as she studied the route. Ansel mirrored her movements—calm, calculated. Inside the wards, no jumping. And my shadows? A liability. This place belonged to their creators.

“Just stating facts.”

“Noted. Now climb.”

So we did. Three abreast, scaling jagged stone toward the upper tunnel system. The vault lay at the heart of the stronghold—but to reach it, we had to survive the climb.

“Next time you wanna impress me,” I huffed, “a beach vacation would suffice.” I worked to test my finger holds before I continued. If we didn’t move quickly, our hands would likely go numb from the bitter wind chill long before we scaled high enough to climb into the shelter of the caves.

“You’d burn like a cherry tomato.”

“That’s what the Middle’s for. Bright side—no dead relatives this time.”

“That you know of,” she countered.

A rock shard cracked under my fingers. I winced, glad I hadn’t released the other hand.

“Great,” I muttered. “Now I’ll have nightmares.”

“Baby.”

“Feral demon creature.”

“Wanna race?”