The forest was burning in silence.
Not with fire…with tension. With the kind of stillness that feels alive, watching.
My lungs ached. My knees hit the dirt before I even realized I’d fallen. I was shaking. From fear, from pain, from something I couldn’t name. The glow beneath my skin pulsed, soft silver veins running up my arms, brightening the clearing where Jace lay.
He wasn’t moving. His chest rose once, shallow, then stilled.
“No.” I whispered, my voice breaking. “No, no, no…”
The blood on my hands was already cooling, dark against his skin. I pressed down harder, uselessly, tears blurring my vision. “You’re fine. You’re going to be fine.”
But the bond was weak, thin as thread. I could barely feel his heartbeat.
The rogues had scattered into the trees after I struck that one, bu
