Damon’s POV

I watched Hope sleep, her small chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Three days had passed since she collapsed, and though her eyes had stopped flickering between gold and silver, she hadn't fully woken. Aria sat beside me, her hand clasped in mine, her face drawn with worry.

"She's just like you," I said quietly, my thumb tracing circles on Aria's palm. "Her power, the way it drains her, the way she gives everything to help others. It mirrors yours perfectly."

Aria's ...