The air was thick with smoke and silver.

Moonlight slashed through the torn canopy, spilling over the clearing where Bella stood, trembling, golden light still flickering across her palms. The world felt unreal—sounds stretched and muffled, the scent of blood heavy in her nose. The shadows had come from nowhere, crawling from the edges of the Grove like spilled ink come to life.

Now, they were gone. Or… mostly gone.

Lydia knelt beside one of the fallen creatures. Its body dissolved into ...