Magic.
Not the kind I knew at least. I had met an earth witch once, years ago, and this… this was nothing like that, nothing grounded or clean or tied to something natural. This felt heavier, darker, like something that had been sitting here for a long time, soaking into the place, twisting it into something that didn’t sit right under the skin and didn’t even try to pretend otherwise.
Drake didn’t like it.
And honestly, I couldn’t blame him when he pushed forward, claws itching under the surface, ready to draw blood if anything so much as moved wrong.
Out of nowhere, without a sound, without even a shift in the air, the door slammed shut behind us.
And the smell intensified.
Not enough to choke, or overwhelm, but enough to settle deeper into my lungs, into the back of my throat, lik
