MARTHA POV
The drive to Bloodclaw territory was quiet at first.
Matteo drove. Luca sat in front. I sat in the back with my files open on my lap, pretending to reread notes I had already memorized because if I stopped moving my eyes, I might start thinking about the two boys waiting for me and the grandparents who had already lost too much.
Bloodclaw was farther than I expected.
The land changed as we approached, the trees growing denser, older, the road narrowing between walls of shadow and rock. Even the air seemed different when we crossed the border. Heavier. Charged. Not hostile, exactly, but definitely different from Wisteria.
And it was weird that a silly human like me could spot the difference… maybe Caelin’s venom in my bloodstream did more than change my scent for all to know
