His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 268

Chapter 268

Claire’s POV

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The Manor was a beehive of panic, but a very quiet, organized kind of panic.

Ethan had the Sentinels sweeping the grounds with specialized gear that looked like oversized flashlights, while Felix was hunched over three different laptops in the library, his face lit up by scrolling green code.

I was sitting on the floor of the library, my back against a bookshelf, watching Elijah pace. He hadn’t shifted, but he was close. I could smell the sharp, metallic scent of his agitation, like a storm about to break.

“Elijah, you’re going to wear a hole in the rug,” I said, trying to sound a lot more chill than I felt. 94 bpm.

“He said the Reaper is already in the valley, Claire,” Elijah snapped, stopping to look at me. His eyes were flicking between amber and gold. “Not on the way. Not close. Already here. And we’re sitting here waiting for the sun to go down like we’re in some bad horror movie.”

“We’re not just waiting,” Felix chimed in without looking up from his screens. “I’ve got the Manor’s perimeter wards synced to a void-spectrum analyzer. If anything without a soul crosses that line, the alarms will go off. Plus, I’ve deployed the ‘Sparklers’-tiny drones that emit high-frequency light pulses. If this Reaper is made of shadow, these will sting.”

I pulled my knees to my chest. “Do you think we should have listened to Kael? About the witches?”

“No,” Elijah said instantly. “Witches don’t do anything for free. If they ‘hide’ you, they own you. You’d just be trading one cage for another.”

“But the Reaper…” I trailed off. I could feel it. Not with my ears or my eyes, but with that weird Anchor sense. It felt like a cold spot in the back of my mind, a little piece of the world that was just… missing.

Ethan walked into the room, looking like he’d aged five years since breakfast. “Silas is finishing the salt-circle around the inner sanctum. It’s an old-school ward, but against void-walkers, the old ways sometimes work best.”

“Ethan, be honest,” I said, standing up. “Can we actually fight

this thing?”

Ethan paused, his hand on the doorframe. He didn’t lie to me. “We can distract it. We can slow it down. But Kael was right about one thing-you’re the only one who can actually touch it. A Reaper is drawn to your light. If you can channel enough energy to overwhelm its ‘void,’ you can force it back.”

“But Kael said if I burn too bright, I’ll lose myself,” I reminded him.

“Which is why we’re going to be your anchors,” Elijah said, stepping next to me and taking my hand. His grip was steadying, a warm weight against the rising cold.

As the sun dipped behind the peaks, the Manor went dark. Ethan had cut the power to minimize the electronic “noise.”

18:07 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 268

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The only light came from the flickering candles Silas had placed along the hallways and the faint, blue glow coming from my own skin.

105 bpm.

We were in the Great Hall, the heart of the house. Silas, Ethan, and Elijah formed a triangle around me. Felix was tucked into a corner with his tablet, his breathing shallow and fast.

The silence was heavy. Then, the “Sparklers” outside started to pop.

Zip. Pop. Sizzle.

“It’s at the perimeter,” Felix whispered, his voice shaking. “Sensors are flatlining. It’s not just crossing the wards… it’s eating them.”

A sudden chill swept through the room, dousing half the candles. The air felt thin, like all the oxygen was being sucked out of the room. My heart rate spiked. 120 bpm.

“There,” Silas hissed, pointing toward the grand staircase.

At first, it just looked like a smudge in the air-a blur of darkness that was blacker than the shadows around it. But as it moved, it took on a shape.

It was tall, thin, and moved with a jagged, glitchy motion, like a video that kept skipping. It didn’t have a face, just a void where a head should be, and long, spindly fingers that trailed smoke.

“Get back!” Ethan roared, lunging forward. He shifted mid-air, a massive grey wolf charging the shadow.

But he went right through it.

The Reaper didn’t even flinch. It swiped a smoky hand at Ethan, and he was thrown back against the wall as if he’d been hit by a truck. He let out a pained whimper, struggling to get up.

“Ethan!” I screamed.

The Reaper turned its “head” toward me. I felt its gaze like a physical weight, cold and hungry. It started to glide across the floor, the wood frosting over wherever it touched.

Silas raised his cane, chanting something in a language I didn’t recognize. A barrier of white light flared up between us and the shadow, but the Reaper just reached out and gripped the light.

It started to drain the color out of the shield, turning the white into a dull, dead gray.

“It’s too strong!” Silas gasped, his knees buckling.

Elijah didn’t wait. He didn’t shift-he knew he needed to stay human to hold onto me. He grabbed a silver- edged blade from the wall display and stood his ground. “You want her? You have to go through me.”

The Reaper let out a sound like dry leaves skittering on a grave.

It lunged.

18:07 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 268

“No!” I shouted.

…

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B

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I didn’t think. I just opened the tap. I reached for the Great Well, ignoring the “safety” limits I’d set for myself.

I let the sapphire light roar through my veins, filling my chest until it felt like I was going to burst.

I stepped in front of Elijah and threw my hands out.

“LEAVE. US. ALONE!”

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