Squeezing Auburn, Fredrick forced the air from her lungs. Her teeth chattered as the cold of Fredrick’s shadow cloak sank into her, but she focused, looking for a way to escape.

Eli drew his sword and dagger.

“Make another move, and someone else you love dies in your arms. Drop your weapons.”

Eli laid them on the ground and lifted up his hands, showing he was unarmed.

“Back away and let me out.”

When Eli didn’t comply, Fredrick’s dagger bit into her flesh. She yelped as blood crimsoned her gown, then whispered a prayer to Dracor. A whisper of the golden glow filled her.

Prince Eli backed down the aisle, allowing his cousin to pass.

Fredrick half-carried and half-dragged Auburn toward the exit as a trail of her blood stained the pristine marble floor.

Pain stole through her from the cold and the bite of the dagger. She steadied her whirling thoughts and focused. As long as Fredrick held her, no one would risk injuring her to get to him. Not the palace guards. Not the Knights. Not Eli.

Fredrick would kill her once he got beyond the palace. He would do it to punish Eli, to push him over the edge and into Rashalee’s vengeful arms.

Auburn would not let Fredrick win.

Stealing herself against the pain, she thought about all that Leopold had taught her and brought her foot down hard on Fredrick’s instep. He yelped and loosened his hold on her. Auburn leapt forward, and Fredrick lunged after her. The cold and pain slowed her, and Fredrick grabbed the hem of her dress and yanked her back.

“Fredrick!” Eli yelled.

Fredrick placed his dagger against Auburn’s throat as he eased toward the doors.

“He’ll kill me no matter what,” Auburn said. and a thin trickle of blood stained the front of her dress.

“This isn’t about Auburn.” Eli stepped over his sword and dagger. “It’s about me.”

“You either join Rashalee, or I kill Auburn and your grief will drive you to Her.”

“If you kill her, I won’t turn to Rashalee. I won’t be king, but I’ll see to it that there’s a Dracasan worthy for Dracor to bless.”

Fredrick laughed, a hollow sound filled with hate. “You won’t give up the throne. Lie to yourself if you like, but I know the truth.”

Eli opened his arms wide. “You’ve been listening to Rashalee’s whispers too long to know any truth.”

“You love her. You won’t marry another and sire an heir. Cursed just like your father and mine. Tamryn will die along with the Dragon God’s bloodline.”

Eli’s face hardened. “If you kill her, I will spend the rest of my life working to make Tamryn a place she’d have been proud to call home. No distractions. Nothing will interfere.”

Fredrick licked his lips as he glanced from Eli to the door.

“You and Rashalee know how determined I can be. I may not use the Dragon God’s methods, but I will see that His light shines brightly in Tamryn.”

Fredrick tightened his hold on Auburn.

“And I will sire an heir to make sure Rashalee never gets the throne. Rashalee is the goddess of vengeance. She knows the truth in my words.”

Black dots pricked Auburn’s vision as she struggled to draw breath.

“I will spend the rest of my life bringing the light of justice to every one of Rashalee’s dark corners. I will be relentless. Your only chance to stop me is to kill me, and the only way you will get me is if you free Auburn.”

Fredrick’s eyes turned wild as strange shadows passed across them. Then he nodded. “A trade. Her life for yours.”

Eli held his palms up, showing he was unarmed.

“Eli, no!” Her efforts rewarded with another trickle of blood. “No, Eli, please.”

“Raise our child to be a good king, Auburn. He will be the last of the Dracasan line, and Tamryn needs him.”

As Eli uttered the words, a brilliant golden light emanated from the altar. The light grew, blinding in its brilliance as it centered on Eli then exploded through the temple. Gold dragons appeared around the sanctuary, in the stone pillars, and reflected through the marble floor as Dracor marked His chosen.

The golden glow burned away Fredrick’s cloak of shadows and the strange darkness that clouded his eyes.

Fredrick howled as fury contorted his face.

Throwing Auburn to the floor, he launched himself at Eli. “You will not take Her from me!”

Eli reached for the dagger in his boot, but Fredrick plowed into the prince and knocked them both to the floor before Eli could reach it.

Panic flooded Auburn as Fredrick raised his weapon. Yanking the dagger from her skirt pocket, she sucked in a breath, aimed, and threw it at Fredrick.

The blade lodged in his back, and Fredrick howled as Eli rolled hard to his left, knocking Fredrick off him.

Auburn ran toward Eli as Fredrick tried to call the shadows to him, but they couldn’t form in the presence of the golden light.

Grabbing Eli’s discarded sword and dagger, Fredrick barred his teeth in a feral grin as he rushed toward Eli, raising the prince’s sword to kill him.

Eli rolled across the floor, and Fredrick’s blow missed by a finger’s width.

The prince shoved himself back to his feet, armed with the dagger he wore at his ankle. The blade glowed with the same golden light that emanated from the altar.

Fredrick threw his dagger at Eli, burying it in the prince’s arm and forcing him to drop the dagger.

The dagger skittered across the floor as Fredrick cornered Eli against the overturned pews.

Grabbing the golden dagger, Auburn slipped under Fredrick’s arm as he raised his sword and buried the blade in Fredrick’s stomach. Months of training took over as she pushed the blade up under his rib cage and into his chest.

Fredrick screamed as the golden glow intensified, filling the entire sanctuary and pouring into him through the dagger. He howled as darkness shattered his body, desperately trying to escape the brilliant light.

But there was nowhere to hide. The light filled every corner of the temple, washing away the darkness and shadows in the holy light.

Auburn thought she heard a woman shrieking as the brilliance incinerated the shadows.

Clutching her side, Auburn crumpled to the stone floor. Eli wrapped her in his good arm, holding her against him. She closed her eyes and let the golden light infuse her. Warmth flowed into her, and she smiled as she gave herself over to Dracor.