Avery’s POV

The voice froze my blood. Dripping with malice, it cleaved its way through the chaos like a knife. “Did you think you could just step in and take what belongs to the cursed?

I turned toward the source of the voice, my throat choking on air. All I could see was a figure wrapped in shadow, their height, and their stance, crushing and monstrous. They were wrapped around us, and the air grew colder. I could feel my hands trembling.

Jameson yanked me behind him, and although the quiver I heard in his voice showed his humanity, it embodied the image of a protective man. “Who are you?”...