KAEL'S POV
The void screams.
It isn't a sound made for ears—it's a tearing in the marrow, a howl that shakes the core of me until I think my bones will splinter under its weight. The abyss knows it is losing. I can feel it unravel, its hold slipping with every step I take toward her.
Ayla.
Her figure blazes like a star in this endless dark, her hand stretched toward me. That stubborn fire in her eyes burns brighter than any abyssal flame, brighter than my own rage.
The shadows fling themselves at me—dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands. Faces of the dead I've left behind, their mouths split in jagged screams. Their claws scrape over my skin, their voices hiss accusations into my ears.
You killed me.
You left me.
You will ruin her, too.
I stagger but don't fall. My claws ignite, golden fire rippling through them, searing every shadow that dares touch me. I roar, the sound tearing from deep inside, shaking the dark itself.
"I will not let you have her!"
