The room fell into an absolute silence.
Vera's gaze shifted to Irene’s motionless form. “Here it begins.”
Suddenly, Irene gasped for air.
But the breath she drew… was no longer that of a human.
As her chest rose and fell rapidly, Irene leaned her back against Lucas’s chest and threw her head back onto his shoulder.
There was a roaring inside her ears—no, not a roaring… voices.
She could hear the crackling of the wood inside the fireplace. The ticking of the clock far down the corridor. The flapping of the wings of birds flying in the forest...
Her eyes widened with terror.
“Lucas…” she whispered. “I… I can hear everything.”
“Because you are no longer human,” Kris said, approaching her.
As Irene tried to control her trembling breath, she abruptly turned her head. A sharp scent had
