Kaelen tapped the top of the projection matrix with one black-gloved finger.

A high-pitched hum vibrated through the Great Hall, setting the crystal chandeliers rattling above us. A blinding pulse of azure light erupted from the matrix, expanding outward until it formed a massive, three-dimensional

Time dilated, slowing to a thick, agonizing crawl.

I watched Julian’s massive, dark-brown wolf sail through the air toward me, his jaws unhinged, aiming perfectly for my throat. I could see the individual flecks of saliva flying from his fangs. I could smell the rancid, bitter scent of his unhinge

The aftermath of Julian's surrender was swift, brutal, and meticulously orchestrated.

I stood in the center of the Great Hall, wrapped in Kaelen's heavy leather coat, watching as the Inquisition guards moved in to secure the prisoners. The air in the room had fundamentally shifted; the oppressive,