Lorraine's POV
I nearly collapsed under the weight of that vision, knees trembling, lungs tight, when suddenly a hand touched my shoulder.
My heart lurched.
I snapped my gaze sideways, and it was Alistair Ashthorne. His expression was unreadable as always, but his eyes.… they flickered, studying me too closely.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice. "It looks like you're burning up."
His touch felt wrong against my skin, too cold, too foreign. I shifted away almost immediately, my body rejecting it like poison. "I'm fine," I muttered quickly, forcing my voice steady even though my pulse thundered in my ears. I didn't meet his gaze again, instead fixing my eyes back on the bonfire where Kieran still stood closr to his mother's body.
But I could feel Alistair's stare linger on me for far too long. Probing. Questioning. Watching.
