The air smelled like burnt iron and sweat. My lungs burned with every breath, and my hands were slick with blood—some of it mine, most of it not. Aria stood a few paces ahead of me, her back straight, her hands glowing with that eerie light that made my skin crawl. She was a storm waiting to break, and I hated how much I needed her. Hated how much I didn’t trust her.
“Asher!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. “We don’t have time for this!”
I gritted my teeth, my sword heavy in my hand. “You think I don’t know that? But every time you use that magic, it’s like playing with fire. One wrong move, and you’ll burn us all.”
Her eyes flashed, and for a moment, I thought she might turn that power on me. “I’m not the enemy here,” she snapped. “If you’d just—”
An explosion rocked
