The fortress reeked of death and dark magic.

Elise stood in the center of the ritual chamber. Her bare feet were planted in a circle of dried blood. Kieran's blood. Her skin glowed pale as moonlight in the darkness.

But she wasn't Elise anymore. Not really.

Her eyes were completely black. No white. No color. Just endless darkness that seemed to pull light into itself.

Dark veins pulsed under her skin like spider webs. They started at her heart and spread across her entire body. Each pulse sent power through her bones.

She looked beautiful and terrible at the same time.

"He escaped," she said to the empty air. Her...