Vincent/Vaelthor~
I stood there in the moonlit clearing, the cool night air clinging to my skin like a shroud, my shadows whispering at the edges of my senses. Kat's hand was still in mine, warm and grounding, but my mind was a storm of calculations. I'd just surrendered—agreed to go with her, to face whatever waited at her home—because the alternative was unthinkable. The pain of separation had nearly broken me, a demonic agony that clawed at my chest like iron hooks. But now, as she pulled back slightly, her blue eyes shimmering with a mix of relief and nerves, I felt the weight of what was coming next.
"I did it," Kat said, her voice breathy and a little unsteady, like she'd just run a marathon. She glanced around at all of us—me, Winter, Nick—her reddish-blonde hair catching the faint glow of the stars. "I called my dad through the mind link. He's on his way. Him and Mom—they're coming to get us."
