The sun rose over the Blackwood estate with a deceptive warmth, but inside the dining hall, the atmosphere was as cold as a tomb. Rowan sat at the head of the long obsidian table, his movements fluid and unnervingly precise. He wasn't just eating; he was existing in a state of heightened vibration. The power he had absorbed from the crystal hummed beneath his skin like a dormant volcano, making the air around him ripple with static.
The heavy double doors creaked open, and Isla stepped inside. For the first time in weeks, it was her. The frantic, haunted look in her eyes and the way she held her breath as she walked was unmistakable. She wasn't the confident, obsidian-eyed predator that had been inhabiting her skin. She was just Isla—fragile, confused, and deeply wounded.
She walked up t
