( Kael's POV )
The wind cut like knives against Kael’s skin.
Dawn had never felt this cold.
The treeline blurred past them in streaks of gray and blue as the horses thundered down the ridge path. Frost licked at the edges of leaves. The world was quiet, too quiet for a forest that had always been alive. No birds. No rustling. Just the heavy rhythm of hooves, labored breaths, and the steady thrum of power coiling inside Aria’s chest against him.
Kael’s arms were locked tight around her, her small frame pressed to his chest as if he could hold her together with the strength of his grip alone. Her head lolled weakly against his shoulder, damp hair sticking to his throat. Every once in a while, she shivered, not from the cold, but from the way the magic inside her pulsed like a second hea
