VINCENT

I wake up with Kaia in my arms, and the bond between us hums like a live wire beneath my skin.

For a moment, I just lie there, feeling her breathe. Her bare back presses against my chest, warm and solid and real.

The memory crashes over me before I can stop it.

Lewis's panicked phone call.

Racing to his territory and finding nothing but disturbed earth where the portal had been.

Knowing she was gone and I had no way to reach her.

My chest tightens at the memory. Those hours were the ...