Chapter 32:
THE RISING SHADOW
The sparkling image etched into the dust haunted me long after Gabriel and Ethan erased it from sight. Its strains, so precise and deliberate, felt alive like it was watching for us to discover it. That night, sleep eluded me. Each time I closed my eyes, I saw the mark, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat.
Ethan’s hands had been wrapped protectively around me, his warm temperature grounding me as my mind raced. “You’re anxious,” he murmured into the darkness, his voice low and soothing.
“I can’t stop thinking about that image,” I admitted, gazing at the ceiling. “What does it suggest? Who left it there? What are they summoning?”
Ethan tightened his hold on me. “We’ll determine it out. Together. But you want to rest, Taya. Whatever’s coming, you’ll n
