The forest creature didn’t retreat far.
Just enough.
Like it was recalculating something it hadn’t expected to encounter.
Denise noticed that more than anything else.
Not the power.
Not the pressure.
But the hesitation.
She turned slightly toward Liam. “You said I was never theirs to call.”
Liam didn’t look away from the courtyard.
“Yes.”
Denise swallowed. “Then what am I?”
A pause.
Long enough that it made her uneasy.
Then Liam said quietly:
“Something they failed to complete.”
Denise frowned immediately. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“It isn’t,” he replied.
Below, the forest creature lifted its hand again—but more slowly now.
Careful.
Testing.
The air shifted again.
But this time—
Denise didn’t feel the same pull.
Not stronger.
Not clearer.
Different.
