Kael burned.

His skin blazed with heat, the scar leaking flame into his veins. Sweat poured down his body in rivers, steam rising from his chest. Every breath came ragged, every exhale laced with smoke.

The wolves carried him to our chamber, but none dared linger. They looked at him as though he were a corpse already.

When they left, I locked the doors and stripped his soaked clothes away. His body shook with fever, muscles rigid, scar pulsing like a living brand.

“Stay with me,” I ...