Mitchell POV
“Adriel is alive, Betty.”
I leaned down, whispering the words against her ear. The room was dead silent, save for the weak, rhythmic puff of her breathing. I brushed a stray lock of hair from her pale forehead. She looked so fragile like this, a broken doll trapped in an endless sleep.
“He is in the Blaze kingdom,” I continued, my voice thick. “The king over there is a friend to him. I know the man too, but we do not like each other. You need to wake up now. I need you back.”
She did not move. She did not even blink.
The heavy oak door behind me groaned. I did not turn around. I already knew the scent. Wildwood, bitter ash, and ozone. Luka.
“What do you honestly think of this Luca guy?” Luka asked, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that rattled the windowpanes.
I stra
