The glow in Elena’s eyes didn’t fade. Crimson light pulsed through her irises in a slow, hypnotic rhythm, as if the Awakening had cracked open something ancient inside her, a force that had been waiting for centuries to breathe again. Dante squeezed her hand, his own pulse hammering wildly. The warmth of her skin soothed him for a single terrifying heartbeat before her gaze shifted toward the sealed chamber door.
“They’re here,” she whispered again. But this time, her voice carried an echo, a faint, whispering undertone that didn’t belong to her. Something old lived within her now, intertwined with her very breath.
Dante’s body tensed. “Elena, look at me.”
She blinked slowly, her glowing eyes locking onto his. For a moment, just a moment, the light softened. Her familiar warmth flickere
