Krager vanished like the way smoke does when the wind decides it no longer belongs.
One breath, he was there, his warmth still lingering against my skin, his eyes holding questions I was not ready to answer. Next, the forest swallowed him whole. No sound of retreat. No c***k of branches. Just absence.
I stood frozen, my heart pounding so loudly I was certain Selene could hear it.
Then she laughed.
It was not the light, musical laugh she wore in the halls of Silvercrest. It was sharp and cracked at the edges, the sound of something splitting under pressure.
“Taboo,” she cried, her voice lifting into the trees like an accusation meant for the moon itself. “Absolute taboo.”
I turned to face her fully, my hands clenched at my sides. The night felt colder now, heavier. “Lower your voice,”
