The hidden passage descended at a sharper angle than the tunnels above, narrowing until Cassian’s shoulders nearly brushed both walls. The air changed as they went deeper, losing the damp warmth of the upper chambers and becoming dry, still, and faintly metallic. Lysa led with the lantern held low, its flame catching on thin veins of silver running through the stone, while Elowen followed close behind with one hand against the wall whenever the uneven floor dropped beneath her boots. Zinnia came last, listening to the weakened mate bond and finding only a dull pressure beneath her ribs.
Ronan was still there, though she could no longer separate his pain from Veyr’s silence. The ancient presence had withdrawn after she sealed the vault doors, but quiet did not mean defeat. It meant waiting
