Ellasara came at me with a blade—and she defeated me. But my eyes open to my bedchambers, and I see Kingsnake sitting at my beside with Fang next to my pillow. I expect to feel the horrible pain of my injury, but I already feel healed. When I sit up, the room doesn’t spin and I don’t feel weak. In fact, I feel better than I ever have…

Kingsnake takes my face in my hands and pulls me close. The relief in his chest is so palpable it’s like heat from the sun. But our beautiful moment is ruined by the horrible realization that I can’t feel my own heartbeat…

Kingsnake was left with an impossible decision: either let me die or sacrifice my soul so I could live in the darkness forever. Instead of accepting that decision, I grieve instead for the life that I’ll never have. Now everything between us has changed. I told him I didn’t want to be a nightwalker—but he made me one anyway.

Kingsnake and I still have to finish what we started, to form an alliance with The Ethereal and share the cure with the humans, but now it’s hard to be in the same room with him. We’ve found our way back to each other before…but I’m not sure how we’ll do it this time.