Pearl’s POV
The night pressed in on me like a living thing. The hood of my cloak shadowed my face, but still I felt exposed, as if a thousand unseen eyes watched from the trees. Every rustle of leaves, every crack of twigs under my boots, made me startle. My heart raced, not just for myself but for the little lives inside me.
I pulled the cloak tighter around me, hand drifting unconsciously to my stomach. Be strong, I begged silently. Be strong for me… for him.
The forest seemed endless. Branches snagged at my skirts, roots tried to trip me, and the night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. I had no clear direction, only the desperate pull of my heart toward Demyan. He was alive, I had to believe that but the bloody words on that crumpled paper haunted me.
Lucien.
Eve
