The night after the ritual didn’t end. It just folded into darkness and stayed there.
Kael and I laid on the floor under furs that smelled like smoke, blood, and ash. He held me in his arms, which made me feel safe, but I couldn't sleep.
I still felt like something had shifted, even after the ritual was over. Something irreversible.
Not between Kael and me—our bond had sealed, I’d felt the snap of it, like the closing of iron jaws. We were connected now in a way no Council, prophecy, or bloodline could deny.
But there was something else in the bond. Something neither of us had invited.
A hollow.
A distant howl that didn’t belong to Kael. Or the twins. Or me.
Something older. Watching. Waiting.
Morning came on like a bruise, slowly and heavily.
Kael moved next to me and kissed the
