The world was still white from the explosion of my aura when the pressure hit again. It struck from the inside, a violent pull on my ribs that wrenched a ragged breath out of me. The silver flames flickered around the clearing, thinned, then surged again as if refusing to die.
Jack’s hand pressed harder over my sternum.
“Lainey. Stay with us. Do not drift. Do not let it take you.”
Beau held me upright from behind, his arms locked around my waist, keeping my shaking body from collapsing. His breath brushed the back of my neck, warm and uneven. “We have you. Hold on.”
Another pulse tore through my chest. My vision warped. Symbols lit beneath my skin in sharp bright lines, racing from my fingertips to my throat. They twisted into patterns that felt alive.
Not mine.
Not wanted.
A foreig
