The bond goes quiet so suddenly I think I’ve gone deaf.
Not muted.
Not distant.
Empty.
I stagger, fingers clawing for balance as the silver-lit ground beneath me tilts. My breath stutters halfway through my chest, like something vital has been ripped out mid-beat.
“Damien?” The name slips out before I can stop it.
Nothing answers.
The warmth that had been coiled low in my belly moments ago drains away, replaced by a cold pressure that crawls up my spine. Panic flares sharp and immediate.
No.
No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to feel.
The chamber doesn’t shake. It doesn’t warn me.
It simply… opens.
The spiral path beneath my feet flattens into a wide stone floor, smooth and dark, reflecting the silver glow above like water. The air thickens, charged with something intimate and in
