The pain tore through me like fire under my skin. Every nerve burned, every breath caught halfway in my throat. I clawed at the ground, trying to steady myself, but my fingers dug into the dirt uselessly. My heart slammed against my ribs, faster and faster, until it felt like it would burst.
“Asher—” I gasped, but the word came out cracked and broken.
Footsteps thundered behind me. I barely registered the door flying open before Asher’s scent hit me—warm, sharp, like the forest before a storm. He dropped to his knees beside me, hands on my shoulders.
“Trinity!” His voice was rough, panicked. “Stay with me. Look at me!”
I tried, but my vision blurred. The world tilted sideways, dark shapes swirling at the edges of my sight. The mark under my skin burned hotter, spreading outwards like m
