The world reassembled around them in fragments.
One breath, they had been amidst the wreckage—embers crackling, stone crumbling beneath their feet, blood smearing her palms where she'd clutched Lucien's torn shoulder.
The next, she was somewhere else entirely.
Cold stone pressed against her back. Low vaulted ceilings stretched overhead, carved with symbols she didn’t recognize. The air smelled of damp earth and something older, richer—magic, dense and thrumming beneath the surface.
She wasn’t afraid.
Not with Lucien’s hand still wrapped around hers.
His grip was iron, though his body trembled.
"Where are we?" Sienna asked, her voice barely above a rasp.
Lucien exhaled slowly. "Safe. For now."
It was only then she realized he hadn’t let go of her. His thumb brushed over the back of
