The rhythmic thud of Demetrius’s heart against my ear was the only thing keeping me grounded as the world blurred past. My frantic cries had finally tapered off, leaving me with nothing but a hollow chest and small, hitching sobs that shook my shoulders.
The air changed as we moved, shifting from the sharp, pine-scented wind of the mountains to the cool, still air of the obsidian halls. The flickering torchlight of the castle began to dance across my closed eyelids. I felt a strange, radiating heat coming from him—a warmth so intense it seemed to soak through the heavy jacket he had wrapped around me.
Slowly, I let my head pull back from the crook of his neck. I looked up, my vision still watery and blurred by tears. The massive vaulted ceilings of the foyer loomed above us like the ri
