The creature’s expression darkened instantly. “The girl.”
I said nothing, but the light in my eyes burned with an intensified heat.
The creature stepped closer again, its unnatural cold clashing with my warmth. “You protect her because she carries the bloodline.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then why?” its voice sharpened.
I hesitated, just for a brief moment, before answering honestly. “Because she chose courage when she had every reason to be afraid.”
Images flashed through my mind: Arabella standing before me in the forest for the first time, her stubborn refusal to surrender to a fate others had chosen for her. I remembered her quiet strength and her compassion for a world that had once treated her like nothing.
“She reminded me what humans were meant to be,” I said softly.
The crea
