Luciana's POV

The world doesn’t slow—it shatters. One moment, he’s just a few feet away from me; the next, he’s on his knees, then onto the ground, gasping for air. Everything happens in a blur, and I can’t even gasp for breath.

My arms instinctively gather him close. His blood warms my hands, but I refuse to look at it. Instead, I cling to his face—his eyes, filled with pain and something deeper, something I haven’t seen in years.

“Rome,” Leo calls as he settles beside me, ...