The woods below the ridge were heavy with silence. The gunfire and shouts from earlier had faded, leaving behind only the rustle of leaves and the whisper of wind brushing against ash and stone. The air smelled of smoke and damp soil...a bitter reminder of what they’d just survived.
Ash led the way down the slope, one hand steady on Cordelia’s arm as she carefully picked her footing through the uneven trail. The moonlight bled through the trees in fractured silver, catching on the edge of his jaw, the streak of blood drying at his temple.
“Careful here,” Ash muttered, his voice low but gentle. “Rocks are loose.”
Cordelia nodded, though her mind was miles away, caught between the adrenaline still pumping through her veins and the dawning dread that this nightmare wasn’t over. Every few s
