Andrei’s POV
The smell of smoke hit me first. Then came the scent of blood.
By the time I walked out of the forest, the devastation was all too obvious. Pillars of dark smoke were billowing from various buildings in Ashmoor, and even from where I stood, I could hear the sounds of shouting as people ran to put out fires.
I found Damon in the main Ashmoor house, hunched over a table covered in maps and reports. He looked up when I walked in and was so relieved that he immediately strode over and pulled me into a tight embrace. I hugged him back.
“Thank the Goddess you’re back,” he said, pulling back and clasping my shoulder. “How’s Max?”
“Better. Still needs more time before he can travel.” I looked around the maps and documents on the table. “How bad is it really?”
Damon scrubbed his
