pte

ou," he sneered

pounded against her ribcage, the adrenaline in her veins setting her senses on high alert. Everything seemed too surreal. T

else. She could feel the weight of his words, his presence, something dange

s voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, but it carried a terrifying promise. His grip o

bear. The smell of his leather jacket overwhelmed her senses, a heady combination of smoke, something dark, and the faintest trace of cologne. But it was his presence, more than

e smaller one, stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. There was a flicker of anger in his g

maller man said, his voice thick with menace.

, his grip tightening once more on Thea. She wasn't

t unnatural. The darkness seemed to swallow them up as though they had never existed at all. The sound of the

idn't move, still as stone. But something had changed. The tension in the air

her heart leaping into her thro

s they hovered over her. Shae's chest didn't rise and fall with breath. Her skin was cold, too col

she whispered her name over and over, but there

id, his voice soft, but the words

t. "My name is not Lissandre. It's Thea, damn it! Why are you all calling me that?" She felt her chest constrict with a mixture of grief and frustrat

atching her as she cradled Shae's lifeless form in her arms. His face w

said at last, his voice quiet. "For

ike this. Not with Shae lying in the dirt. "I can't," she whispered, tears s

Shae's hair, trying to find some semblance of warmth in the lifeless body. But it

'm sorry for your loss, Thea," he said, his voice almost gentle. "But

What was he talking about? None of this m

are you talking about?" She looked at him like he had lost

ce seemed to wear thin. "You must rediscover y

Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to understand what

ers? You're out of your fucking mind!" She could feel the hysteria rising in her chest, her breath quic

ation palpable. "I don't have time

ysteria bubbling over, spilling out of

al anymore. She just wanted to scream. She wanted to ru

d. Hermes made a noise of annoyance. "They're quicker than before," he muttered under his breath.

rd into the darkness with fluid, practiced movements. The shadows

" he called, his voice

he should have been angry, scared, confused-everything. But the truth was, she was tired. Ti

" she whispered, her

he darkness overtook him was a

st barely a whisper in the air. "Yo

n he wa

it wasn't peaceful. It was

cold, could only wonder how deep