KEEGAN POV
The wind carried the scent of lakewater and gunpowder as I prowled the edge of the rocky path, my claws silent against stone and moss. Midnight moved with lethal grace beneath my skin—low, deliberate, feral.
The sun had sunk lower, bleeding gold and crimson across the sky. Shadows reached like claws through the trees, stretching long and sharp, painting everything in hues of dying light. The air was cooler now. Tense. Heavy with promise.
They were close.
I followed the stench of sweat and steel, edging along the rise that overlooked the shoreline. Below, I saw them—three mercenaries, standing too still for men on the run. Their weapons were slung low. One paced like he was waiting. Another crouched by the rocks, fidgeting with something I couldn’t see. The third… he just sta
