Kael's POV

The car was completely silent. It felt heavier than any armor I'd ever worn.

Rael was driving, his hands gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. His jaw was clenched, his gaze locked forward as if the road itself had wronged him.

I stared out the window as the city lights faded behind us, swallowed by shadows and trees. It felt like the world was closing in, pressing us back toward a fate we couldn't escape.

The weight of the curse. The weight of our ...