Vogel turns toward the young Mage as Sparrow’s grayed eyes find mine with furious desperation. “Do what you will with her, Tilor,” Vogel says, eyes flicking toward Sparrow with clear distaste. “But keep her alive and bring her West. She’ll draw Thierren Stone to her soon enough.”

Pain slashes through Sparrow’s eyes, and I fist my wand hand so hard, my nails bite into my skin, everything in me desperate for wood as another hard rush of Yvan’s heat flashes through me. Panic tightens my throat. Don’t come here, Yvan!

My cousin and Sparrow are dragged into the cavern as Vogel draws near and glides down onto one knee beside me, viper calm. He gestures to the soldiers beside him with a flick of his hand, and they drag Lukas closer. My heart tightens with agony when Lukas has no reaction to our proximity save his lips lifting into a snarl, my insides cleaved through with longing.

“Lukas!” I cry against my gag, wild with desperation to break through to him. It’s me, Lukas! Come back to me! I love you!

Vogel closes his eyes and murmurs a spell.

My emotions spin into violent chaos as he touches the Wand’s tip to Lukas’s hand, then mine, then his own. Multiple thin tendrils of Shadow twine up and wrap around all three of our wand hands in a complicated, undulating net. Then Vogel murmurs another spell, and the net cinches tight, confusion ripping through me as our hands pull together.

I watch, my confusion giving way to shocked horror as Lukas’s fastlines turn gray...

...then transfer to Vogel’s skin.

Only the dark Sealing lines around Lukas’s wrists remain, his smoking fastlines now marking Vogel’s hands.

“My fastmate,” Vogel croons as he slides one slender finger over my identical fastlines. “Elloren Vogel.”

An obliterating rage shoots red through my mind, the feral urge to tear the finger clear off Vogel’s hand ripping through me as my power lashes out in vengeful chaos, pummeling against Vogel’s hold on my lines. Vogel gives a slight shudder, his gaze on me narrowing tight, as if sensing my mutiny. He flicks a finger, and two Mages move forward and grab hold of Lukas’s bindings, dragging him away from me.

“Leave him be!” I cry against the gag, scoured out by the ravaging desire to go after him, furious tears scalding my vision.

“Silence,” Vogel bites out as he brings his Wand’s tip to my neck and murmurs another spell.

Pain shoots through my fastlines as Vogel’s power strikes through my lines with merciless force, my teeth chattering against the cord in my mouth.