Aria
The forest feels different after the trap.
Not quieter.
Not darker.
Worse.
Like something inside it has shifted now that it knows we survived.
The bond stays close now. Too close. Not overwhelming—just aware. Like it refuses to risk separation again.
I understand that feeling. Unfortunately.
No one relaxes after the mercenaries are restrained. Not Cassian. Not Lucien. Not even Eryndor. And Kaelith… Kaelith looks one
wrong sentence away from burning down the entire forest.
Honestly, relatable.
“We move now,” Cassian says.
“They’ll already be relocating,” Lucien replies.
“Oh, definitely,” Eryndor adds cheerfully.
“You think there are more?” I ask.
Lucien looks at me evenly. “I think operations capable of separating a bonded group of rulers do not involve only three
mer
