Amelia POV

The forest went unnaturally still.

The silence wasn't a safe one.

It felt like the peace before a massive storm.

Ronan and I stood frozen in the clearing, staring at the corpse that was fused inhumanly into the tree.

I couldn’t look away.

And then carved into the wood beside it was supposed to be a warning.

THE FLOWER IS NOT FREE.

But then, behind the tree, just beyond the corpse, the Bloodshade Flower was there, glowing faintly in the darkness.

My fingers curled ...