Chapter 171

• In the hushed stillness of the night, when the world lay shrouded in darkness and all was quiet, Marisol rolled out of bed. It was time.
• She knew what she had to do. A sense of duty pulsed through her veins, driving her from the warmth of her bed.
• Silently slipping out from beneath the covers, she moved with a stealthy grace, careful not to stir Cedric from his peaceful slumber. With one last look at her sleeping mate, she stepped out into the moonlit hallways. Her heart beat steadily in her chest as she headed back for the library and dug out the ancient dagger from its hiding place. Carefully, she wrapped it in the folds of her cloak, the cold metal sending a chill down her spine.