Silas’s POV,
The first c***k of fireworks split the air, sending streaks of gold and crimson across the Khelam skyline. From the balcony of Blackwood Tower, I watched the bursts of light paint the night—brief, brilliant, then gone. People around me cheered, their faces bright with champagne and the kind of optimism that only the last minutes of the year could bring.
I didn’t cheer.
Didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Because I wasn’t thinking about fireworks. I was thinking about Hayden—alone, warded in her apartment, probably still shaken after what happened on that balcony earlier tonight. I told myself she was safe, but I didn’t feel it. Not when I could still smell Dominic’s scent in the air.
Emma appeared at my side, her presence quiet but grounding. Her silver gown shimmered in the lig
