Chase
*****Early Evening — The Restored Palace of Silverfang*****
The first thing I remembered was dying.
Not vaguely.
Not like a fading dream.
I remembered it clearly.
I remembered Elena’s hands shaking against my chest.
I remembered the blood.
I remembered the curse tearing through me like fire.
I remembered the way her voice broke when she begged me to stay.
And then… darkness.
Not sleep.
Not peace.
Nothing.
Now, standing in the wide glass hall of the restored Silverfang palace, I leaned against one of the marble pillars and let those memories crash into me again.
“I really died,” I muttered.
Lucian stood across from me, arms crossed, looking like he was waiting for me to do something stupid.
“You didn’t just die,” he said flatly. “You made a dramatic, self-sacrificing
