Chaos consumed the Great Hall.
Shattered glass covered the marble floor.
Black flames crawled across the walls like living shadows, yet they burned nothing except the poison that lingered in the air.
Nobles fled toward the exits.
Guards struggled to keep order.
But Kaelira noticed none of it.
Her entire world had narrowed to one person.
Ronan.
He lay motionless in her arms, his breathing growing weaker with every passing second.
The smile he had forced only moments ago was gone.
His skin had turned unnaturally pale.
The dark veins crawling beneath it continued to spread.
“Ronan…”
Her voice trembled.
“You promised you weren’t leaving.”
His fingers twitched weakly, but he didn’t answer.
For the first time since she had met him…
Silence surrounded him.
And it terrified her.
