Lucian's POV:
The magic pressure finally lifts, rolling off my chest like a massive stone being removed one agonizing inch at a time.
I collapse forward immediately, hands slamming into packed dirt hard enough that small sharp stones cut into my palms. Blood wells up hot and slick, but I barely feel it through the fog of rage. Gasping desperately, I suck air into lungs that feel crushed, each breath rattling in my chest like broken glass grinding together.
But the pain—the physical pain of Ethan's magic crushing me—is nothing compared to the rage burning through every vein like liquid fire.
"Ethan!" The scream rips my throat raw, tastes like copper and fury and something dangerously close to grief. My voice cracks on his name, breaks into something barely human—more animal howl than sp
