RIV POV
Branches whipped across my face as we stumbled through the final stretch of forest.
Every breath burned. Every step sent a jolt through my lashed back. But I didn’t stop.
Ryn was still ahead of me, bleeding and barely upright, but she didn’t stop either.
Then—through the trees—
A break. The forest thinned. And just beyond the last row of oaks, the lake shimmered in the moonlight.
Still. Silver. Quiet.
“Trust me,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
Ryn glanced back, confused. “What?”
But I was already moving, tugging her hand as we reached the water’s edge. I stared down into the mirror-like surface, moonlight gleaming off it like glass.
And there it was—the pull. A familiar thrum in my blood.
A calling.One only I could hear.
“Hold my hand,” I told her. “And don’t l
