Kael screamed, but no sound came. Smoke coiled around him choking him. Eiren’s laughter echoed like shattering glass.
And Maris faded into the ground, into the dark, into nothing.
Because of him.
Because he hadn’t stopped it.
Because he hadn’t been enough.
He woke with a roar as he bolted upright in the bed — chest heaving as if he’d just clawed his way out of the grave.
The room was dark, lit only by the moon’s pale gaze through the high arched window. Cold sweat clung to his skin, and his hands trembled as he pressed them against his face.
It was a nightmare.
But the ache in his chest didn’t fade.
He swung his legs off the edge of the bed, planting his feet on the stone floor, grounding himself in the cold. A century of war had never made him fear sleep like this.
Because now… there was someone to lose, she wasn’t just a queen or a bonded.
She was the only thing in his long, cursed life that ever made him believe in salvation.
He raked a hand through his hair, trying to shove the image of her crumpled body from his mind.
His chamber door slammed open.
Kael jolted toward it, shadows curling instinctively at his fingertips.
But it was Maris.
Hair loose, a robe hastily thrown over her nightdress. Her bare feet slapped against the stone as she crossed the room.
Kael remained motionless, still half-drenched in the cold sweat of his dream, his heart a hammer in his ribs.
“You felt it too,” she breathed.
It wasn’t a question.
He nodded, throat tight. “A vision.”
“Not just a dream,” she whispered, stepping closer. “I saw it too. The field. The sword. The moment everything went wrong.”
Maris reached for him as their eyes met. Her fingers skimmed the edge of his sleeve.
“I woke,” she said softly, “and I needed to know you were still here.”
Kael gripped her hand, with a desperation he didn't bother to hide.
“I thought I lost you again,” he whispered. “I stood there, watching it happen, unable to move.”
Her lips parted, pain flickering in her eyes.
“I don’t know what it means,” she said. “It was terrible.”
“Then we stop it,” Kael murmured. “We rewrite the end.”
Her gaze dropped to his hands, still clutching hers. “Will you, hold me?”
