Cierra:
The drive to the Council estate was conducted in a silence that was no longer heavy, but humming. The old silence had been a void, a space for fear to grow. This new silence was a conduit. Through the bond, I could feel the steady, rhythmic beat of Dominic’s heart, a warrior’s drum. I could sense the sharp, analytical hum of Dane’s thoughts, a predator mapping the terrain. And they could feel me, the calm, unwavering center that refused to be shaken. We were a closed loop, a self-contained ecosystem of power.
The Council estate wasn’t a building; it was a fortress. Carved from the mountain itself, it loomed against the twilight sky, a monolith of stone and ancient authority. Lights burned in every window, a hundred judgmental eyes. As we stepped out of the car, the wind carried t
