The pain was unbearable.
It felt like fire crawling under my skin, tearing me apart from the inside. I doubled over, clutching my chest as I gasped for breath. The ground beneath me seemed to spin, and everything blurred around the edges.
“Aylin!” Kieran’s voice was distant, but I could feel his hands gripping my shoulders, trying to steady me. “What’s happening? Stay with me!”
I wanted to. God, I wanted to. But the darkness was pulling me under, deeper than I’d ever been. It wasn’t like before, when I could sense the curse as a distant threat, lurking in the background. This was different. This was consuming me.
“Kieran...” My voice was barely a whisper. “I… I can’t...”
“Don’t say that.” His voice was firm, but I could hear the fear behind it. He pulled me into his arms, his warmth
