đđđ˘đĽđ˘đđĄ
Minutes stretched into eternity.
Each second on that parapet felt like an hour. My arms ached from clutching the pillar. My legs had gone numb from the cold and the awkward crouch I'd folded myself into. The wind kept picking up, gusting across the exposed stone, and every time it did, I was certain it would push me over the edge.
The guards stood silent, watching. Not helping. Not speaking. Just... watching.
My mark burned hotter with each passing minute, the glow visible even in the darkness. I could feel Kaia pacing inside my mind, agitated, trying to push forward but unable to break through my panic.
>"Let me out," she kept saying. "Lilith, let me out. I can handle this."
But I couldn't. My terror had me locked in place, frozen, useless.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps. Noâpaws. Heavy, deliberate, padding across stone.
I looked up, tears of cold and fear streaming down my face, and my breath caught.