Eliana POV
The clearing was quiet. Too quiet.
Even the birds seemed to sense what was coming.
I was in the middle, feet rooted to the ground, stomach breathing calm-at least as the moment. Palms cupped, almost touching the ground and fingers quivering with suppressed power. The air was thick, charged. It always was before Scarlet came.
Also sitting on a rock behind me with a wary smile and narrowed eyes was Astrid.
“Are you sure of this?” she yelled with a twig turned between the fingers.
“No,” I said honestly. “But I have to try.”
She didn't argue. She never did when it came to this.
I closed my eyes.
Breathe in.
Focus.
Scarlet lived just beneath my skin—always had. The first time she had surfaced, it felt like being torn apart and reborn all at once. The power. The heat. The r
