Denise didn’t repeat the word again.
Back.
It sat in her chest like something foreign that refused to be swallowed.
Liam’s arm was still around her, but now it felt less like protection and more like restraint—like he was holding her in place against something neither of them had fully agreed to yet.
Below, the courtyard remained still.
Too still.
Even the attackers from earlier had stopped moving entirely, as if waiting for permission to continue existing.
Denise’s voice came out quieter than she intended.
“I don’t understand what that means.”
The forest creature tilted its head again.
“Oh,” it said softly. “You do. You just don’t remember yet.”
Denise shook her head immediately. “Stop saying things like that.”
Liam’s voice cut in, sharper now.
“Enough.”
The pressure in the
