POV: Aria
⸻
The moment I looked into the priestess’s eyes, something inside me cracked.
Not broke.
Not bled.
Cracked—like a shell straining to contain something vast and ancient and hungry.
I didn’t know her name, this woman cloaked in silver and bone. But I knew her presence. I knew the taste of her magic. She was part of the same current that surged through my veins. And when her gaze locked onto mine, it wasn’t hatred that passed between us.
It was recognition.
Like two mirrors finally placed face to face.
⸻
Kael’s arms tightened around me as I trembled, my knees no longer mine to command. My chest burned, my vision doubled, and then—
I heard her.
“Let me speak.”
The voice wasn’t mine, but it came from my mouth.
Kael stepped back like he’d been scorched. “Aria?”
No. Not A
