"More dangerous than watching my husband die?" I looked at Kael. "I'm doing this. Stop trying to protect me and just accept that I'm stubborn enough to match you."
"I hate how brave you are," he said, but there was love in his voice along with the fear.
"Good. Hate me while staying alive." I took a breath. "I accept this burden freely given. Transfer the binding to me."
Power surged between us. I felt the shadow magic flowing from Kael into me, felt it searching for the spark of life growing in my womb, felt it connect—
Pain exploded through my entire body. Not physical pain but something deeper, like my soul was being ripped apart and reconstituted. I screamed, unable to help it, as the binding settled into place.
And then, suddenly, I could feel them. The shadow beasts. Fifty individual presences connected to me through threads of magic. Each one hungry, angry, desperate to break free and kill.
