I almost gave in. Almost let him—
“Stop,” I whisper. “Stop thinking about it.”
But I can’t.
Because part of mewantedto say yes.
Part of me still does.
That’s the worst part. Not that I almost broke. That Iwantedto break. Wanted the calm, the rest, the promise that I wouldn’t have to fight anymore.
My chest aches.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces together, but it feels useless. Like I’m already falling apart and just haven’t noticed yet.
The mist curls around my ankles.
I look down, and my stomach drops.
The Ether coiling around my ankles isn’t right.
It’s had black threads since the first time I fell into the Void—since I pulled Thane and I into it and everything went dark. But this—
This is different.
The black isn’t just threading through the silver anymore.
It’shalf.
Maybe more.
Silver and black twisted together like they’re fighting for control, and I can’t tell which one is winning.
“No.”
I jerk back, but the Ether follows. It’s mine. Part of me. And it’swrong.
I try to pull it back, suppress it like I try to when it gets too strong. But it doesn’t obey. It keeps spiraling out, the black spreading like ink, until I can barely tell where the silver ends and the darkness begins.
My hands start to shake harder.
It’s getting worse.
Being here—being trapped in his space—it’s feeding the corruption or whatever this is. Making it stronger. Turning my Ether into something I don’t recognize.
Or maybe it’s not the Void doing it.
Maybe it’s me.
Maybe every time I almost gave in, every time I wanted to say yes, the black grew a little more.
Either way, it’s terrifying.
I close my eyes, trying to breathe through it, trying to calm down enough to pull the Ether back under control.
It doesn’t work.
The darkness spreads, creeping across the floor, climbing the walls. I can feel it reaching, searching, like it’s looking for something.
