Ayla's POV
Professor Arkon lifted Kira carefully into his arms. She looked so fragile, her white hair hanging limp, her face very pale but her chest rose and fell. She was alive.
"We need to move fast," Morgana said, leaning heavily against the wall. The ritual and the battle had drained her. "The Covenant will send reinforcements when their members don't report back."
"Can you walk?" Elena asked Damien, who was still sitting on the floor, dazed from the ritual's aftermath.
"I think so," he said, accepting her hand. He stood shakily, then looked at me. "The bond. It's really gone. I can't feel it anymore."
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"Free," he said simply. "For the first time in two years, I feel like myself."
Sienna helped the injured faculty members to their feet. The Professor h
