KILLIAN
I saw it before anyone else did.
The glow started under her skin, faint at first, like embers trying to c***k through stone. Then it flared brighter, and the air around her shifted—thick, electric, suffocating. Freya’s dragon fire.
The circle reacted in waves. Some stumbled back, their fear plain. Others froze, eyes wide as though they’d just seen a prophecy take shape. Then came the whispers, sharp and merciless:
“So it’s true.”
“She has dragon fire.”
“She’s dangerous.”
“She can’t stay here.”
Each word cut, and I saw them land on her like blows. Her breath came short and fast, her shoulders shaking as though she were breaking apart from the inside.
Selene, of course, stood at the far edge of the ring, smirking like a cat that had cornered its prey. This was her victory,
