LYRA

Permanent.

The word settled into the room like a death sentence.

Nobody moved.

Nobody even breathed loudly.

The corruption inside the bond shifted faintly again, almost like it enjoyed the silence that followed.

Lucian’s hand tightened around mine immediately.

Too tight.

The bond pulsed sharply in response.

Fear.

Not mine.

His.

The realization hit hard enough to ache.

Because Lucian Vale—the man who faced ancient monsters head-on without hesitation—looked genuinely shaken for the ...