Lucian
*****Before Dawn — The Ridge Above the Camp*****
I did not sleep.
Kings who slept during war died quickly.
Below me, the camp was quiet. Too quiet. Fires reduced to embers. Warriors resting with weapons within reach. Wolves dozing with one ear open. Fear and exhaustion mixed into the air like smoke you couldn’t quite escape.
And her.
Elena.
Even from here, I could feel her.
She lay curled around the twins, instinctive, protective, her body forming a shield no enemy would ever cross while breathing. Chase sat a short distance away, back against a fallen stone, pretending not to watch her every breath.
Pathetic.
And dangerous.
I clenched my jaw, turning my gaze toward the dark forest beyond the ruins. Seraphina’s shadow still lingered there. I could taste it. Rot. Magic. Hu
