Lea didn't remember falling asleep.
One moment she had been curled safely in Hugo's arms, the faint warmth of his lime pheromone comforting her as the world outside melted into silence. The next—
a tearing sound split the air.
A vibration rippled through the bedroom floor, subtle at first… then violently strong.
Hugo shot awake instantly, instincts on full alert. "Lea—"
Before she could even open her eyes fully, the entire room twisted, stretched, and shattered like glass.
A force yanked them upward.
Wind roared.
Colors dissolved.
The world flipped into darkness.
Lea gasped and grabbed onto Hugo's shirt, and Hugo immediately wrapped both arms around her, holding her so tightly she felt his rapid heartbeat pounding against her cheek.
"Don't let go—!" she cried.
"Never," he growled.
And then the world swallowed them whole.
---
When their feet finally hit solid ground, the shock of silence was deafening.
No wind.
No sky.
No light.
Just black.
