Rain fell in sheets, hammering the forest into a blur of water and shadows.
Adrian stalked ahead, fury radiating from every line of his body. His blade swung loosely in one hand, not for show, but because he was too angry to sheath it. Every step he took cut deeper into the mud, his jaw tight, his breath loud.
Behind him, Nora moved like a ghost, silent and unreadable. Her eyes flicked constantly to the shadows between the trees, her fingers grazing the hilt of her knife. She wasn’t angry like Adrian—her danger was colder, sharper, hidden beneath layers of stillness.
And then there was Kael.
Half-dragged, half-walking, soaked in blood and rain, bound by rope that cut into his wrists. His head lolled sometimes, his body sagging, but every so often his eyes lit with that sharp glint, the
