The courtyard was silent except for the crackle of falling ash. My body trembled as shadows crawled over my skin, sinking into me like living chains. My eyes burned, and though I tried to speak, only the sorcerer’s voice poured out.
“Finally.” He hissed through my lips, flexing my fingers as though testing the weight of my body. “A vessel strong enough to carry me.”
Elias froze only a few feet away. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, his shirt torn and soaked in blood. I could see the horror in his eyes, but also something sharper beneath it—rage, desperation, love.
“Let her go.” He growled, his voice raw. His claws glinted in the dim light, but his hands shook. “You don’t belong in her.”
The sorcerer laughed, the sound echoing through me until it felt like my ribs would split. “She
