As his breath brushed past her ear, something colder raged under her skin. A presence heavier and darker. It wasn’t Rhazien.
He’s here.
Kaerith’s stomach twisted. She couldn’t see him, but she felt his presence—the Beast's presence.
Rhazien leaned in, close enough she could feel the heat of his breath.
“Fear clings to you,” he whispered, inhaling deeply as his face tilted as if savoring it. “And it smells… beautiful.”
Kaerith’s teeth pressed together as her hands clenched into fists in her lap, forcing a trembling breath out.
Even as Rhazien spoke, Kaerith felt something far worse watching from beyond the dark. She felt a pulse. A hunger. It wasn’t Rhazien.
It was the other one—the one they called the Beast.
His shadow stretched across the chamber as he stood, his armor creaking.
