KAINE’S POV
I’m pacing in the study. My mind is not at ease. Carissa survived the ritual. She’s alive. And yet, I still don’t feel releaved. The void is gone, yes, but something else is still there. The night of the ritual, I barely remember the final moments, the surge of energy, the screams... all I know is that when it was over, Carissa collapsed in Jaime’s arms, unconscious but safe. Or at least, that’s what I should be telling myself.
But I can’t shake it. I can’t shake how fragile she felt in my arms afterward. The way her body shuddered with the aftereffects of the ritual. The way she flinched at every sound, like the shadows would rise again, ready to devour her.
I’ve tried to bury it in work—drowning myself in pack matters, making sure every detail is attended to. But nothing h
