Malrik POV

Ysolde’s shoulders quivered as tears streaked down her face, her anguish raw and unrestrained.

“I tried to help my cousin,” she choked, her voice thick with grief. “I truly did. But none of us understood how the ability worked not even me. If I’d known, if I’d understood, I would have acted. I would have shielded her. I would have taken the punishment myself if I could. But I couldn’t. I failed her. I failed them both.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy and ...