CHAPTER 25
~~~~~ The air was thick with frost and tension as Raven entered the inner sanctum of Elara’s tower. Ancient runes shimmered faintly on the stone walls, pulsing like a heartbeat in the candlelight. Her boots made no sound on the smooth, etched floor, but every step echoed in her chest. The silver glow in her wings had faded, hidden beneath her skin once more, but the memory of what had happened on the balcony with Dante clung to her like sweat. She could still feel him—his breath against her collarbone, his voice groaning her name, the way he’d made her fall apart and rebuild in the same burning moment. And Lucien had seen it all. He hadn’t spoken a word as they returned to the keep, but his silence had more weight than any threat. It sat in her chest like a stone. “Elara,” Raven calle
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