Cassandra's POV
The safe house is an old church in Brooklyn that's been turned into something else entirely.
From the outside, it looks abandoned—broken windows, crumbling stone, weeds growing through cracks in the steps. But when Lucian touches the door, silver light spreads across the wood like veins.
The door swings open.
Inside is nothing like a church should be. The pews are gone, replaced by sleek furniture and computer screens. The stained glass windows glow with magic instead of moonlight. And people—no, not people, beings—move through the space like this is normal.
A woman with purple skin floats past, carrying a stack of books. A man with horns growing from his head sits at a desk, typing on a laptop. Something that looks like smoke shaped into a person watches me from the corner.
I stop walking. "What is this place?"
"Shadow Court headquarters," Lucian says, pulling me forward. "Where those of us who fight the Void gather. We protect humanity from things they don't know exist."
"We?"
"I'm the leader." He says it like it's obvious. "I've been fighting this war for three thousand years. These are my soldiers, my allies, my—"
"Your servants?" a voice interrupts.
A man appears from the shadows—literally steps out of them like they're a doorway. He's tall with dark skin and eyes that burn red. When he moves, shadows follow him like pets.
"Kieran," Lucian says with a warning in his voice. "Be nice."
Kieran looks me up and down, and his lip curls. "This is the great weapon you've been searching for? She's human."
"Not entirely," Lucian says. "Not anymore."
"She smells human." Kieran circles me like a predator. "Weak. Scared. Useless."
Anger flares in my chest. I've had enough people looking down on me today. "I just killed a monster with my bare hands. What did you do today?"
Kieran's eyes widen. Then he laughs—a sharp, surprised sound. "She has teeth. I like that." He stops in front of Lucian. "You didn't tell me she was funny."
"I didn't know she was." Lucian almost smiles. "Kieran is my lieutenant. He'll help with your training."
"Training for what?"
"Survival," Kieran says bluntly. "Control. Combat. The basics of not dying horribly." He tilts his head. "Though honestly, your chances aren't great. Most Contractors don't survive their first month."
My stomach drops. "What?"
"He's joking," Lucian says quickly.
"I'm really not." Kieran grins, showing too many teeth. "But hey, maybe you'll be special."
Before I can respond, another person appears. A girl around my age with wild black hair and tattoos covering her arms. She wears ripped jeans and a leather jacket, and when she sees me, her face lights up.
"Oh my God, you're her!" She rushes over and grabs my hands. "The new Contractor! I'm Zara. Zara Blackwood. I'm a witch. Well, technically I'm the last surviving member of the Blackwood Coven, but that's a depressing story for later." She talks so fast I can barely keep up. "Are you okay? You look terrible. Have you eaten? When did you last sleep? Did Lucian explain anything, or did he just throw you into the deep end like he always does?"
"Zara," Lucian says tiredly. "Breathe."
"I'm breathing!" She turns back to me, still holding my hands. "Don't listen to Kieran. He's dramatic. Most Contractors survive at least two months."
"That's not better!"
Zara laughs. "I like you already. Come on, let me show you around. You can stay in my wing until Lucian sets up your room." She starts pulling me away from Lucian.
"Wait—" I look back at him.
He nods. "Go. Zara will take care of you. We'll start training tomorrow."
Zara drags me through the church, chattering the whole time. She shows me rooms full of weapons, libraries filled with ancient books, a kitchen where something is cooking that smells amazing.
"Most of us live here," she explains. "It's safer than being out there alone. The wards keep Void spawn out, and Lucian's power makes sure no one can find us unless he wants them to."
"How many of you are there?"
"About forty, give or take. Some are supernatural—demons, witches, shapeshifters. Others are human Contractors like you. People Lucian has made deals with over the years."
I stop walking. "Wait. There are other people like me? Other people with contracts?"
Zara's smile fades a little. "There were. Most of them are... gone now. Dead or corrupted or just disappeared." She squeezes my hand. "But don't worry! You're different. Lucian says your bloodline is special. You have light and shadow powers, which is supposed to be impossible. You're going to be fine."
She doesn't sound convinced.
We end up in a small room with a bed, a desk, and a window overlooking the city. It's simple but clean.
"This is you for now," Zara says. "Bathroom's down the hall. Kitchen's always open. If you need anything, I'm three doors down." She pauses at the doorway. "Try to sleep, okay? Tomorrow's going to be intense."
She leaves, and I'm alone for the first time since this nightmare started.
I sit on the bed and finally let myself think.
This morning, I was normal. I had a job and a fiancé and a future.
Now I have powers I don't understand, a contract that binds me to a fallen angel, and monsters trying to kill me.
My phone is dead. Even if it wasn't, who would I call? Simone and Marcus betrayed me. My friends from work probably think I'm a criminal. Mom is in the hospital.
I have no one.
The thought makes me want to cry, but I'm too tired even for that.
I lie down on the bed, still in my ruined work clothes, and close my eyes.
Sleep comes fast and brings nightmares.
I dream of shadows with teeth. Of red smoke filling my lungs. Of my father—a man I barely remember—fighting monsters in the dark.
In the dream, he turns to me and says, "Run, Cassandra. Don't let them catch you. Don't let them make you into a weapon."
But I can't run. My feet are stuck. The shadows are getting closer.
One of them grabs my arm, and I scream—
I wake up to someone shaking me.
"Cassandra! Wake up!"
It's Zara, and she looks terrified.
The room is freezing. Frost covers the walls, the floor, the ceiling. My breath comes out in white clouds.
"What's happening?" I gasp.
"Your power is leaking." Zara backs toward the door. "You're losing control in your sleep. I need to get Lucian—"
The window shatters.
Not from something coming in. From something going out.
A beam of pure white light shoots from my hands straight through the glass and into the sky. It's so bright it hurts to look at.
"Stop!" I scream at my own hands. "Stop it!"
But I can't. The power keeps pouring out of me like water from a broken dam.
Footsteps pound in the hallway. Lucian bursts through the door, Kieran right behind him.
Lucian sees the light and swears. "She's manifesting already. It's too soon—she's not ready!"
"What do we do?" Kieran asks.
"We contain it before she burns the whole building down." Lucian approaches me carefully, hands up. "Cassandra, listen to me. You need to pull it back. The power is yours—you control it."
"I can't!" The light is getting brighter, stronger. Things in the room start to float. "I don't know how!"
"Yes, you do." He's right in front of me now, close enough to touch. "Feel the power. Don't fight it. Don't fear it. Just... breathe."
"That's your advice? Breathe?"
"Trust me."
I don't trust him. But I don't have a choice.
I close my eyes and try to feel the power instead of fearing it. It's like a river inside me, wild and rushing and desperate to get out.
Slowly, carefully, I imagine pulling it back. Like closing a faucet. Like taking a deep breath and holding it.
The light dims. The floating objects settle. The cold recedes.
When I open my eyes, the room is normal again except for the broken window and frost.
Lucian lets out a long breath. "Well. That was exciting."
My legs give out. Kieran catches me before I hit the floor.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I didn't mean to—"
"It's not your fault." Lucian kneels beside me. "Your power is waking up faster than expected. The attack at the hospital accelerated the process." He looks at Kieran. "We need to start her training immediately. Tonight."
"Tonight?" Zara protests. "She needs rest!"
"She needs control," Lucian says sharply. "Before her power tears her apart from the inside."
Kieran helps me to my feet. "Can you walk?"
I nod, though I'm shaking so hard my teeth chatter.
Lucian leads us down to the basement—a massive space filled with training equipment and weapons. The walls are covered in those silver lines I saw before, glowing brighter here.
"Reinforced wards," Lucian explains. "Whatever you do down here won't damage the building." He turns to face me. "First lesson: your power responds to emotion. Fear makes it wild. Anger makes it destructive. You need to learn to stay calm."
"How am I supposed to stay calm when monsters are trying to kill me?"
"Practice." He gestures to the center of the room. "Attack me."
I stare at him. "What?"
"Use your power. Try to hit me."
"I'm not going to—"
"Do it!" His voice cracks like a whip. "Or the next time Void spawn attack, you'll freeze up and die. Is that what you want?"
No. It's not.
I raise my hands, and light flickers across my palms. It feels easier this time, like the power knows what I want.
I throw it at Lucian.
He dodges effortlessly, moving faster than any human could. The light hits the wall behind him and disappears into the wards.
"Again," he commands.
I try again. And again. And again.
He dodges every single shot.
Frustration builds in my chest. I'm tired and scared and angry, and I channel all of it into the next blast.
This one is different. Bigger. Brighter.
It catches Lucian in the chest and sends him flying backward into the wall.
Silence.
"Oh God," I breathe. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
Lucian stands up, brushing dust off his suit. He's smiling.
"There it is," he says. "That's the power I need. The power that can save the world." He walks toward me, and his eyes glow silver. "Now let's see how much more you can do."
The training lasts for hours. By the end, I can barely stand. But I can control the light. I can call it, shape it, throw it without destroying everything around me.
When Lucian finally calls it quits, the sun is rising outside.
"You did well," he says, and it sounds like he means it. "Rest today. Tonight, we train again."
I stumble back to my room with Zara's help. Every muscle screams. My head pounds.
But as I collapse onto the bed, I feel something new.
Not just power. Not just fear.
Pride.
I'm not helpless anymore. I'm not the woman Marcus and Simone destroyed.
I'm becoming something else. Something stronger.
Maybe even something dangerous.
I fall asleep with l
ight still flickering across my fingertips and one thought in my mind:
Let the monsters come. Next time, I'll be ready.