A shudder ran through me as a memory of that night surged. ‼️ spoilers ~~~~~ “It has to be done,” the faceless man said. “You know what will happen.” “She’s but a child—” “And she will be the end of everything.” “Or she is just the end of them. A beginning—” ~~~~~ I stepped back, my heart thumping. “A beginning of a new era,” I whispered, finishing what Coralena had said to… Malik watched me, and my stomach twisted with nausea. Casteel’s arm encircled my waist as he pressed into me from behind. “Poppy?” He lowered his head to mine. “What is it?” My skin kept flashing from hot to cold as I stared at Casteel’s brother, but I didn’t see him. I saw the man with shadows for a face. The cloaked figure. The Dark One. “I remember everything,” I said, and the room steadied. I steadied as I focused on Malik. “Why? Why didn’t you do it, then? Finish it?” “Apparently, killing a child was a line I could not cross.” “You’re the Dark One,” Casteel said in that deceptively soft way of...