The voice from the forest lingered in the air like smoke. Cold. Familiar. Wrong. I stared into the tree line, breath caught somewhere between my ribs and my throat.
Nathan stepped closer. “Do not go in there alone.”
“I was not planning to.” I said. “But thanks for assuming I have the survival instincts of a brick.”
His jaw twitched. “You tried to chase a ghost last night.”
“And she called my name tonight.” I said. “So, you know, progress.”
The mark on my palm glowed faintly, its light moving like liquid under the skin. It tugged. A physical pull. A direction. Like a compass pointed at doom.
I stepped into the forest.
Nathan followed without hesitation. Good. Because I was absolutely not losing a fight to ancient death magic alone. I liked to pretend I could, but I also liked not dyi
