The Corrupted Heart
The scent of corrupted essence now permeated the Shadowmoon caves, a foul, sickly-sweet odor that clung to the air, a constant reminder of Elias Thorne’s devastating blow. The once vibrant glow of the Obsidian Heart was a mere flicker, its surface marred by an unnatural, pulsating green-black haze. It was like watching a living entity slowly die, its life force draining away, taking with it the hope of the pureblood alliance.
Kieran held Lyra, her body frighteningly still and cold, the obsidian orb clutched to her chest, its own inner light utterly extinguished. The green-black veins at her temple pulsed with a chilling regularity, mirroring the corrupted heartbeat of the Obsidian Heart. The mate bond, once a roaring fire, was now a barely perceptible flicker, a fragi
