Lyla’s eyes snapped open.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness.

Not the kind of darkness that came with the night.

Not the absence of light.

This was alive.

A darkness that pulsed, breathed, coiled around her like it had been waiting for this moment.

For her.

Lyla exhaled slowly, pressing a hand against the earth beneath her.

Except

It didn’t feel like the earth.

The ground shook at her touch.

And the air

It carried her name like a whisper from something ...