***BLAKE***

The cold was slipping away from me. It didn’t even feel like ice anymore. Just a distant weight pushing at the edges of my mind. My vision kept shaking, falling in and out like someone was pulling curtains over my eyes.

I could still see Tricia’s blood on the floor.

I could still hear her last scream echoing around the cave.

And all I could think was—this is my fault.

I chased power.

I chased a story.

I chased something bigger than me, and I paid for it with her life.

My ...