Lyra POV
The low rumble of Jaxon’s car engine filled the silence, a steady sound that seemed to anchor the world as the road stretched out before us, cutting through the darkness of the night. The headlights danced over the asphalt, illuminating patches of forest that appeared and vanished like ghosts. I sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed over my chest, the heater’s warmth battling the chill that still seemed to cling to me from the clearing, from Morgana. My mind was a whirlwind, the sorceress’s words—renegade, murderer, Darius’s brother—mixing with Jaxon’s gaze, so full of pain and promise, when he swore he was innocent.
I looked at him now, his profile lit by the dashboard’s faint glow. His hands gripped the steering wheel firmly, knuckles slightly white, as if he were holding mo
