The recording faded, but the words kept echoing.
Never meant to remain incomplete.
Something inside me cracked. Not a clean break. A splintering shock that tore straight through my ribs and spilled outward. My aura flared in a burst of heat that struck the walls with a metallic ring. The lights overhead flickered violently. Dust lifted off the floor in a spiral around me.
Jack reacted instantly. “Lainey. Breathe.”
I could not. The panic clawed up my throat again, sharper this time. Mixed with something else. Something electric and dangerous. My aura surged, expanding without my permission. It pushed at the air. At the room. At the bond between the three of us.
Beau moved fast, faster than thought. His weight pressed me gently to the floor, his body settling over mine just enough to re
