(Kael’s POV )
The Hollow had never been this quiet.
Not after a battle. Not after blood. Not even after death.
Kael sat with his back against the charred remains of a support beam, his body still trembling from what had passed through him. Every muscle ached. His veins pulsed with something colder than blood, something that wasn’t entirely his anymore.
Aria slept only a few feet away, the baby nestled in the crook of her arm. The faintest shimmer of gold pulsed beneath the infant’s skin when he breathed, soft, rhythmic, harmless. For now.
Tessa and Jarek had taken the first watch. He could hear them whispering near the ridge, their voices a low hum against the still air. The forest beyond remained unmoving, as though the world itself had paused to catch its breath.
Kael’s gaze drifte
