I could feel it in my bones. The air was thick with danger, electric with the promise of something ancient and untamable. The forest, dark and oppressive, whispered in languages I couldn’t understand, but somehow, I knew that I didn’t need to. It wasn’t the kind of place you could trust. Not even the shadows were safe here.
Lucian moved beside me, his presence a silent promise of support. His hand brushed mine, the brief contact sending a surge of warmth through my chest. It was the kind of warmth I had long ago told myself I didn’t need. Yet, there it was the unmistakable pulse of a connection I had denied for too long.
“We have to keep moving,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
“I’m not going anywhere without you,” he replied, his voice low but steady. I glanced at him quickly,
