The world broke apart one heartbeat too late.
Arthur Hale was gone. One second, he had been standing there, a living, breathing specter of my own history, and the next, there was nothing but the churning, soulless fog. My lungs screamed for oxygen as I tore away from the campfire ring, my boots slipping on the slick, pine-needled floor.
"That's my father!" I screamed, the sound tearing through the unnatural silence. "Let me go!"
Marcus caught me before I could take three steps into the treeline. He didn't pull me back aggressively; he anchored me, his large, calloused hands gripping my shoulders. I fought him, twisting, clawing at his arms, my eyes locked on the spot where my father had stood. I was convinced if I just blinked hard enough, he would reappear.
"Seraphina, stop," Marcus s
