Mira’s POV

We marched in silence until the land ahead shifted into something none of us wanted to name. Kael kept pace beside me. His jaw set, and his posture tight. He didn’t look at me. The tension between us stayed close.

Lyra’s warning echoed in my head. She didn’t want him entering her territory, yet here he was. He didn’t care about her conditions, only about being near me.

“You don’t have to come,” I told him. “I’m not leaving you,” he said. It wasn’t affection. ...