The sky did not return to normal after the Moon withdrew its light. Even when the clouds thinned and the sun forced its way back into view, the air inside the council chamber remained charged, metallic, and wrong. The elders stood frozen in a semicircle, their earlier confidence fractured by what they had witnessed. The runes carved into the stone floor still glowed faintly beneath Mira’s feet, pulsing in rhythm with the bond in her chest.
Mira tried to steady her breathing but the supernatural pressure that had pressed against her bones moments ago did not disappear when the light faded. Instead, it sank inward. It settled beneath her ribs, coiling there, heavy and hot.
Ryker stood directly in front of her now, his back to the council. He did not touch her. He did not reach for her. He
