I screamed.
Light burst out of me, searing and wild.
Asher staggered back, throwing an arm over his eyes. Gage swore and stumbled, nearly falling. Arlo got his mother away from the door and slammed it shut to protect her. Dennis alone stood still, but even he raised a hand to shield his face.
Through the blinding light, shapes moved—shadows swirling in the glow like living smoke. They rose from the crack in the earth, curling upward, wrapping around me. Whispering.
Not words. Not exactly.
But I understood anyway.
Child of the First Moon.
Blood remembers. Blood calls.
My breath hitched. “Stop.” I whispered, though I didn’t know who I was talking to. “Please stop—”
The shadows pressed closer, brushing my skin like cold fire. And then—suddenly—they slammed into me.
I convulsed, my b
