Eve POV
I don't know how long I was asleep. Minutes, hours—time meant nothing on this cursed mountain. All I knew was that I woke up choking on a sharp, sudden ache deep in my chest, like invisible claws were crushing my heart from the inside.
I sat up fast, breath caught in my throat.
What the hell—
I was fine when I fell asleep. Perfectly fine. Warm, exhausted, snuggled between three dragons who acted like giant heated blankets with wings. But now—now this pain was slicing through me so violently I had to press a palm over my heart.
Something felt wrong.
No—someone felt wrong.
Lucius.
The realization hit me like a punch. The ache sharpened, twisting, pulling—like my heart was being dragged toward something.
I looked around the camp, eyes adjusting to the dull flicker of dying firelight. The trees loomed tall and shadowy, wind whispering through their branches like they were sharing secrets behind my back.
That's when I heard it.
A sound.
Low.
Broken.
Not human.
