Mira’s POV

Every sound sat too close, every silence pressed too deep. The bond hummed under my skin, restless and warning. Kael’s energy flickered faintly through it, sharp, deliberate, distant. I tried to block it, but my pulse matched his rhythm anyway.

Cyrus had ordered tighter security, the guards switching positions every hour. They whispered about shadows moving near the ridge, but no one dared check. I felt the pull long before I saw anything. It wasn’t curiosity.

The mist hung ...