faced

oods and been hunted by shad

thing-had ever

derstorm waiting to break. Still. Silent

trying to escape. Her palms were damp. Her le

again since the

ng to tell me

n eyes locking onto hers with a he

nce wasn

s dem

her mouth. T

new. To ask the hundred ques

u

th

s. Not even a bre

Panic bloomed across her

l no

trembled at her sides. Her breath

can't

ck. Her gaze darted back to Kaelen's, hopin

ws furrowing, jaw tensing-not with

izat

gnit

a wounded creature that might bolt. His voice,

can't

estion.

ly, her breath s

w what was hap

oice had

kin still throbbed li

knew o

t started the moment s

wo

f Lycans. K

fa

ence st

lo

he

eady to break. The torches on the walls flicker

n eyes darkened, sharp with fr

roat, low and guttural, like th

th

gh

om the

m h

her collarbone as heat-searing

ma

lsed

ic

ign

e pain wasn't sharp like before-it was deeper. Like something

with intricate lines that spread out like veins of starlight. T

ir sh

erature

through the chamber-tho

muttered a word she didn't understand-an ancient tongue th

Reve

gnit

didn'

k-locked on it like it was the

, something cracke

ra

po

g old. Somet

o had just risen from the grave-a

spered, but the word b

immer of light, clutching her

know what

he

t was-it chang

before she

in front of her, taller tha

ncy. His hand wrapped around her upper arm, groundi

rom a

rom s

one, still pulsing with silver light. As his skin touched he

sing

elen..

All the comman

o

d built with blood and silence. His jaw tightened, but his b

is voice low-frayed, like a man standing on

him, confusion sw

o speak. No

d, slow and broken, her l

on't

's gaze di

ng more tha

seein

atever lingered in the edges of her

ting go of something holy or cursed. He steppe

is forbidden,

lower. A whisper m

xtin

st tighten

ut she had no tim

posted along the edges of the chambe

eave

riors h

his voice-but he

"N

ike a command

s downcast, the heavy doors clo

was jus

th the forg

who remembe

ut with a finality t

llowed was colder t

with uneven breath. His eyes-no longer just golden, but

something he'd

dn't

ight

crescent moon on her collarbone slowly fading

er voice fragile but finally

cut through t

is lips parted like he m

inst

nd for the first tim

of

she repr

red, more to himself than t

it

was

iv

rk

ssed, voice shaking.

e-slowly, steadily-un

o cruelty i

y f

fi

another time

ce low and raw, "you were

breath

rvive

didn't

oment-he didn't s

the world had

e they'd buried u

walked into his

-

to