CHAPTER NINE
Lila woke with the strange sensation that she was no longer entirely alone inside her own body.
It wasn’t fear that greeted her when her eyes fluttered open, but awareness—quiet, steady, and undeniably present. The ceiling above her wasn’t the one from her apartment back in Montclair. Wooden beams crossed overhead, faintly lit by morning light filtering through frost-laced windows.
The cabin.
Memory returned in fragments. The circle of stones. The wind. The heat that had surged through her veins like something ancient stirring awake.
She sat up slowly, pressing a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat felt… different. Stronger. Calmer. As though it no longer raced just for survival but for purpose.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Lila?” Darian’s voice, low and careful. “Are y
