The cambion twists in midair, kicking off the wall with a loud thunk instead of hitting it. The root, without a target, dissipates into a cloud of smoke. Valec lands in a crouch, red eyes wide and glowing, teeth bared at the smoke as if it might come for him again.

The door slams open, and Sel stands between us, snarling, his back tensed for combat. My chest seizes at the sight of him. His face is all fury and fangs, the ends of his hair raised high and smoking. His fingertips have darkened. William, Alice, and Mariah come tumbling in after him, shouting. The floor tilts beneath me, and my chest itches. No, it hurts—

Sel advances, and Valec holds his hands up. “I’m done, I’m done!”

“Sel…,” I whisper, and he whirls back, eyes growing wide when he sees me.

Even though I can’t see it through my clothes, I know the mark starts at my chest, where Valec’s palm rested. As we watch, the mark spreads into deep red vines that climb up my throat and down my arms to my elbows, curling into small buds at my hands. I gasp, looking down at my body.

“What did you do to her?” Sel demands, his voice a low rumble. I look up to see his eyes flooding back to a deeper yellow. His hair drops down against his head, and his fingers flush to their normal pale color.

Alice lurches toward me, but William holds her back.

“I didn’t do that,” Valec says, walking around to get a better look with both palms still raised. “That was already there.”

A slow realization creeps through my body. Valec didn’t put that mark on me.

He revealed it.

As we watch, the vines fade in color until they disappear entirely into my brown skin. Like they were never there. Or like they always were. I’m not sure. With trembling hands, I pull my sweater up over my shoulders, uncomfortable under both Valec’s and Sel’s gazes.

Valec tips his head back in sudden understanding. “The Bloodcraft. Of course!” He looks at me with new interest, and not a small amount of awe. “Your ancestor called for power. And if you’re the end result, I’d say she called on a lot of power.”

“Yes. She did it to escape. To protect her unborn daughter.”

Valec curses. “Two hundred years ago, when a Black woman running meant a white man chasing after his property. In your ancestor’s case, she was carrying his blood—what the Legendborn value most in the world.”

I nod. “Yes.”

Valec snaps. “Well, that’s one part of the mystery solved. Your ancestor made a bargain. I knew it!”

“Valechaz,” Mariah warns. “Not a game.” William and Alice begin asking questions at once.

“Wait!” I shake my head. “No, Vera and the Legendborn are Bloodcrafters. They bound power to their bloodlines. Vera didn’t—”