The silence before an escape always tastes like fear.
We stood quietly in the shadowed corner of the cell, our breaths shallow, our eyes wide and watching. My heart raced, but it wasn’t just the danger—it was what the witch said next that nearly stopped it.
“You still want to save him.”
I turned sharply. “Who?”
She gave a small, knowing smile. “Luca. You can lie to yourself, Zuriel, but I can see your heart. I can read your mind. The one bleeding. The one still tethered.”
I laughed bitterly. “You read minds now?”
“No,” she said softly. “I read pain. And yours is screaming his name.”
I looked away, jaw tight.
“You’re not weak for feeling,” she continued. “You’re human. Even when they try to make you monster.”
Her words carved through me. I hated that she was right. I hated that I w
