_Dorian's POV_
The three of us moved cautiously through the dense forest. The weight of the ritual was still heavy on my chest. The distant chirping of birds filled the silence between us. My mind was racing, the reality of what had just happened pressing down on me.
Lyla walked beside me. She had barely spoken since the ritual ended. Her body was weak, but her spirit—her strength—was unbreakable.
I wanted to say something, anything, to ease the tension, but before I could, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I stiffened.
Marcus.
I fished the phone out and answered immediately. “Marcus?”
“Dorian, where the hell are you?” His voice was sharp and urgent.
I exhaled, already feeling the weight of the conversation ahead. “We’re in the forest. We had to run.”
“What do you mean, run?”
I looke
