The switch in Annabelle's head snapped. She never knew it was there until it broke.
All the rules, all the promises — gone. The thing that kept her steady, that kept her from tearing the world apart, fell away like dry skin.
She had always held back. Even against Zerathos, even in the forest when she fought for her life, she had kept one hand on the reins. Three elements lived in her, but she let only one breathe. Life itself could flip that switch — but it hadn't. She wasn't the trigger.
It was..
…her darling.
He was the lock on her anger. As long as he was safe, she could watch cities burn and not care. She could lose herself to the fire and still come back. But when she heard he was gone — taken, nearly killed — the world shifted under her feet.
He died.
He was stolen.
