LYRA POV
The world shrank down to the space between Darius and me. The dirty factory floor, Aiden's shocked face, and Kael's looming presence behind me all faded into a blur. The only things I could see clearly were my son's scared face and the evil, grinning face of the rogue who had him.
*The heart of the mother.
The words echoed in the big room. They weren't just sounds; they were blows that took the air out of my lungs. It wasn't a figure of speech. He really meant it. He was going to cut my heart out of my chest as part of a sick, twisted ritual. The medallion on my chest flared up, but not with righteous fire. Instead, it was a cold, sharp fear that was all mine. It thumped in time with my racing heart, like a frantic drum counting down the seconds.
Kael's voice was a low, earth-
