The cave trembled.
Not from footsteps. Not from wind.
From Ezra.
He screamed…again. But it wasn't the cry of a hungry child. It was guttural, primal, wrong.
His body arched, tiny limbs thrashing in the cradle as the ground beneath him cracked, glowing lines spidering out from the base like a thousand burning veins.
Haelyn ran in.
"Ezra!" she shouted, dropping to her knees. "No…baby, look at me!"
Archer reached for him . got blasted back against the wall.
"What the hell?" he grunted, coughing.
Seraphis rushed in, eyes wide. "Don't touch him!"
"He's overheating," Haelyn cried. "He's burning up..his eyes…Archer, look at his eyes…"
They glowed.
Gold rimmed with a violet ring. No pupils. No recognition.
Seraphis backed up slowly. "He's unlocking."
"Unlocking what?" Haelyn snapped.
"His blood. His gifts. He's awakening…"
"I thought we sealed the curse!"
"We sealed Zareth's mark," Seraphis growled. "But we didn't seal what he passed on. This is the boy's own power now!"
