Ember Frost’s POV

My chest thudded so hard it felt like it might tear itself open. Heat rushed through my veins, wild and uncontrollable, scraping against my skin from the inside. It wasn’t just heat; it was torture. My body felt like it had been dragged too close to fire, and the pain ripped a cry out of me before I could stop it. For a terrifying moment, I thought I might actually burn alive.

The purification runes went mad.

It flashed and dimmed, surged and faded, driven by a rhythm ...