Chloe's scream had ebbed into silence. What remained was only the faint rise and fall of her chest as she slumped, unconscious, against Valerius's arms.

The witch's hand hovered briefly over her forehead. His expression, unreadable as ever, shifted into a grave calm. "Do not fear. She is cured. But the cure must root itself inside her body. Until then, she will sleep."

Valerius searched Chloe's face, brushing away a stray strand of hair damp with sweat. Relief cut through him so sharply it ...