The forest was still, but my mind wasn’t.
Flameheart.
Veilwalker.
Light.
Fire.
Memory.
My fingers still hummed from the golden threads I’d summoned.
And even though the clearing had fallen quiet again, I could feel the weight of history pressing against my skin like the warmth of a thousand unseen stars.
I didn’t want to move.
But I wasn’t alone anymore.
Soft footfalls stirred the leaves behind me.
I didn’t turn.
I already knew who it was.
Killian.
He didn’t speak at first, just stood beside me, his scent curling through the air—smoke and cedar, grounding, familiar.
After a moment, he crouched beside me, eyes scanning my face with quiet intensity.
“You’re not sleeping again,” he murmured.
“How can I?” I whispered. “There’s something inside me that feels like it’s reme
