The compound doesn’t feel safe anymore.
Not after Kieran’s possession.
Not after the ward cut.
Not after the way Lilith slipped inside like she already knew the architecture of our defenses.
Security doubles.
Then triples.
But paranoia grows faster than patrol rotations.
Morgan doesn’t sleep.
Kade refuses to leave Kieran’s side.
And I sit in the training chamber at 2:13 in the morning, holding silver current tight between my palms and trying to feel the shape of what’s coming next.
Because something is coming.
Lilith isn’t finished.
She escalated from ritual to possession in less than forty-eight hours.
The next move won’t be subtle.
It’ll be decisive.
Kieran wakes just before dawn.
I’m there when he opens his eyes.
He looks normal.
But the moment his gaze lands on me, I
