Chapter 154

BATTLE CONTINUED… VALENTINA The cavern shook, shards of stone raining down like falling stars. The Collector’s roar echoed through the chamber, fury and shadows rising to swallow me whole. My claws burned silver-black, light and darkness fused, yet still he pressed me back, his blade grinding against mine. “You will not escape fate!” he bellowed, helm glinting in the flickering torches. “Your mother tried and failed. You will follow her into ruin.” “I am not my mother!” I screamed, my voice cracking through the air. “And I will not fail!” The clash rattled my bones, sparks showering us both. He shoved me toward the dark pool at the chamber’s heart, black water rippling like it thirsted for me. My knees buckled—until something surged inside me. Not a weakness. Not fear. A tremor of golden fire brushing my soul. Andres… The bond snapped taut, vibrating, filling me with a heat that drowned the shadows. The Collector stiffened as if he felt it too. His helm tilted toward the cavern’s jagge