Third POV
The dead zone screamed as the Devourer’s desperation tore through it.
Shadow surged outward in violent waves, no longer controlled, no longer precise. This was not strategy. This was fury. Reality buckled under the force of it, the ground heaving as if trying to throw the corruption from its skin.
Gabriella felt it before she saw it.
The Heart behind her lurched, its steady rhythm faltering as the Devourer’s power slammed against it again and again. Each impact sent a spike of pain through her chest, sharp and breath-stealing, as if invisible claws were trying to tear it back out of her.
She staggered.
Tristan caught her instantly, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other braced against the ground as a shockwave ripped past them. “Stay with me,” he growled, voice raw. “
