I froze, tilting my head slightly. A faint pressure in the air, almost imperceptible, tugged at the edges of my senses. Asher stiffened beside me, eyes scanning the forest.
“It’s not the shadows.” I whispered. “Not yet.”
“No.” Arlo said, voice tight. “But it’s close. Something is moving in the energy lines. Something with… intent.”
The forest around us grew quieter, too quiet. Even the birds had stopped singing. The wind was still. I felt my heartbeat quicken, and the bond thrummed with a warning pulse.
Asher moved instinctively in front of me, his body low, energy flaring faintly at his fingertips. “Then we wait. But we don’t wait defenseless.”
I nodded, summoning the energy from our bond. It flowed through me, steady and warm, responding to the rhythm of my heartbeat. The bond betwe
