Natalie's POV
I stepped onto the salted lands and the pain hit me like a freight train. Fire exploded through my feet. Up my legs. Into my bones. It felt like walking on hot coals covered in broken glass. Like every nerve ending in my body was being torn apart and set on fire at the same time.
I gasped. Stumbled. My knees buckled.
Xander caught me before I hit the ground. His arms wrapped around my waist and held me upright. Through the bond, I felt his panic. His terror. His desperate need to pull me back across the border to safety.
"We need to start the purification ritual." His voice was rough. Strained. "Now. You cannot stand on this ground without cleansing it first."
Kade was already flipping through the journals. His hands moved fast. Frantic. Pages rustled in the poisoned win
