The first thing Ember noticed was that the air tasted wrong.
Not sour. Not sharp.
Sweet.
Her instincts recoiled before her mind caught up, Vespera stirring uneasily beneath her skin. Ember slowed her steps along the forest path just inside Bloodstone territory, fingers flexing as she drew in another breath.
Sweet. Floral. Thick.
Not natural, Vespera warned. Stop.
Ember did—but too late.
The world tilted.
Her knees buckled, vision blurring as the forest bent inward, shadows stretching unnaturally long. Ember gasped, reaching for a tree trunk that felt suddenly too far away, her strength draining in a terrifying rush.
“No—” Her voice slurred. “Vespera—”
I’m here, her wolf snarled, fury laced with strain. Something is suppressing me.
That alone sent a spike of fear through Ember’s
