Aurora’s POV
My eyes snapped open, my body jerking upright.
The ceiling above me was dark and carved with strange, twisting symbols that seemed to move when I blinked. My chest heaved, the memory of fire and screams still burning in my head.
I clutched the sheets, cold sweat soaking my skin. It wasn’t just a dream. I remembered everything now—my parents’ final moments, Caleb’s father walking through the flames like a shadow of death, the way Lira’s magic had pulled me from the jaws of that inferno.
My hands trembled as I pushed the covers aside and slid off the bed.
“They died because of him,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Because of Caleb’s family.”
Anger surged through me, so sharp it almost drowned out my fear.
The chamber was empty. The guards who normally stood by my door we
