Aurora’s POV

The forest path was quiet, too quiet.

A breathless, unnatural silence draped across the trees, muffling even the wind. The canopy above swallowed the light, turning everything dim and gray, as if the forest itself were holding its breath.

Mist drifted low across the ground, curling around my ankles like cold fingers trying to cling to me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Blue stirred inside me, restless. Something’s wrong, she whispered, her voice low and ...