Rissa’s POV

The clearing felt heavier in silence than it had in chaos. Blood seeped into the soil, pooling in the grooves of fallen roots. Smoke curled through the air, carrying the sharp tang of wolfsbane and scorched earth. My hands still shook from the fire I had unleashed, the kind of tremor that started in the bones and worked its way into the heart.

Josh stood only a few steps away. His chest rose and fell with the rhythm of someone who had fought hard, but his eyes—storm-dark, ...