ARIA POV
The bright light faded, leaving Darius frozen in place, his knife still at Elira's throat. But something had changed. The air shimmered around us with silver energy.
"Now!" I shouted.
Kael and Jaxon moved like lightning. They grabbed Darius's arms, pulling him away from Elira, who dropped to the floor gasping. Lucien rushed to her side.
"You fools!" Darius roared. His eyes glowed with strange red fire. "You have no idea what you're dealing with!"
I ran to the altar where my mother's spirit waited. I could feel her now, a warm presence just beyond reach.
"The ritual," I said quickly to Lucien. "We need to do it now."
Darius laughed, the sound echoing off the room walls. "You can't break my curse. I've spent twenty years building it."
"The blood must be freely given," I remembered. "From all three sons and both daughters of the Moon Alpha line."
