The pendant would not stop humming.
I pressed it between my palms, trying to muffle the vibration, but the jade bird seemed to have a heartbeat of its own now. Every pulse sent a thin thread of warmth crawling up my wrists, winding through my forearms like ivy climbing a stone wall. It did not hurt. That was the worst part. It felt familiar, attuned to the very core of me—resonating in exact harmony with the magic restrainer spell resting over my chest.
I sank onto the edge of the circular bed, the silk sheets whispering beneath my weight. The lavender pool burbled softly in the corner, its fragrance doing nothing to calm the acid churning in my stomach.
Think, Amara. Think!
