MasukZara's POV Several minutes after pulling into my driveway, I still sat frozen inside the car.The engine had long gone quiet.So had the world around me.But my mind refused to.All I could see was that ring burned into the forest floor. The perfect circled charred into the earth.I stared blankly through the windshield as the image replayed over and over in my head. The blackened earth. The untouched center. The lingering scent of smoke curling through the trees like the forest itself remembered what happened there.And somehow every road led back to Kali.Kali.Sweet nervous Kali who apologized too much and avoided eye contact whenever Kora entered a room.How could someone like her create something so terrifying?More importantly…Why now? If she had this ability all this while, why was it surfacing now?My fingers tightened unconsciously around the steering wheel.Then another thought slammed into me so suddenly my breath caught.Maduro.Did he know?My stomach twisted hard.Was
Zara's POV Sleep never truly came.Not for me anyway.Even after returning from the forest, after the horses were stabled and the servants retreated for the night, my mind refused to quiet down.So I sat there instead.Watching Kali sleep.The room was dim except for the faint glow of moonlight spilling through the curtains. Shadows stretched softly across the floor while the fire in the hearth crackled low and quiet.Kali hadn’t moved much since falling asleep again.She looked peaceful now.Celine had already gone home by the time I returned from the forest with Ike. Honestly, I still wasn’t sure whether that relieved me or made me more anxious.Because now all the questions sat heavily inside my chest with nowhere to go.What really happened in that forest?How did fire appear around Kali?And why did it feel like every answer only made things worse?I rubbed tiredly at my face and glanced toward Kali again.Still asleep.I didn’t want to wake her.But goddess, I needed answers be
Zara's POV My eyes widened in shock. Inside the room, Celine’s voice dropped lower, with a hint of urgency or maybe it was fear. It was too hard to tell over my racing heart. “You started the fire, Kali.” Celine repeated. For a second, my brain simply stopped working. Fire? What fire? And why in goddess’s name would Kali start one? I pressed my ear harder against the door, my pulse suddenly roaring loudly in my ears. Inside, there was rustling from the bed before Kali spoke weakly. “I didn’t do anything,” she whispered. “The fire just appeared.” A chill raced down my spine. “Yeah,” Celine replied immediately. “Because of you." She sighed. "Listen, I'm not exactly sure what happened out there, I just know, one moment a ring of fire appeared around you and the moment you fainted, the fire disappeared.” Silence followed. My heart began racing wildly as my mind screamed one thing over and over again.A ring of fire? I struggled to breathe quietly as I kept listening. Th
Zara's POV My heart nearly stopped the moment I saw Kali in Celine’s arms. “Kali!” I rushed across the room immediately, panic surging through me as I grabbed hold of her shoulders. Celine hesitated. Just for a second. Her grip tightened protectively around Kali before she finally loosened her hold enough for me to take her. That alone made alarm bells ring in my head. “Kali,” I said quickly, brushing damp strands of hair away from her face. Her skin was warm. A little too warm. But at least she was conscious now. Barely. Her eyelids fluttered weakly before she whispered my name so softly it almost broke my heart. “Zara…” Relief flooded me instantly. “I’m right here,” I murmured gently. Carefully, I guided her back toward the bed and lowered her onto the mattress. Kali winced faintly as her head touched the pillow, exhaustion written all over her face. She looked terrible. Like something had drained the life straight out of her. Once she settled back against the bl
Celine's POV My heart nearly burst straight through my ribs.“Ike—”The rest of the words died in my throat.Because Ike wasn’t just standing there casually.He looked furious.Not loud furious like Emmett.Worse.Controlled furious.His broad shoulders filled the doorway completely as his sharp eyes moved from me… to the unconscious Kali in my arms… then back to me again.The silence stretched painfully.I swallowed hard.Think, Celine. Think.“I can explain,” I blurted quickly.“I’m waiting,” Ike said flatly.Panic clawed violently at my chest.Kali shifted weakly in my arms with a faint groan, and instinctively I tightened my hold on her.“She needs to leave,” I said desperately. “Please.”Ike’s brows furrowed slightly.“She’s not safe here.”That made his expression darken immediately.“Not safe?” he repeated slowly.I nodded quickly. “Kali isn’t happy here. Everyone treats her terribly. Kora openly hates her, Emmett terrifies her, and now whatever happened in the forest…” My voi
Celine's POV I had to get Kali out of this house.Tonight.The thought repeated itself over and over in my head as I stayed hidden beside the cabinet, listening carefully to the silence stretching through the hallway.No footsteps.No voices.Good.Slowly, I stepped away from the wall.My pulse still raced hard beneath my ribs, but now fear had tangled itself together with determination. I didn’t fully know what was happening to Kali. I didn’t understand the fire, the shield, or the terrifying amount of energy Lilith sensed inside her.But I knew one thing.If Emmett discovered the truth before we did, everything would become dangerous.Maybe it already was.I glanced once more toward Kali’s room before carefully making my way back down the hallway.The door remained cracked open.Warm golden light spilled softly across the floorboards.I hesitated outside for half a second.Then slipped inside.The room smelled faintly of herbs and smoke now, probably from whatever Lilith used durin
Kali’s POV The world spun as I hit the ground, a cloud of dust rising around me. Pain shot through my ribs, sharp and fiery, but I bit down a groan. My lungs burned as I gasped for breath, every inhale scraping like sandpaper. “Had enough yet?” Vera’s voice carried above me, half mocking, half
Kali’s POV My heart hadn’t stopped pounding since Zara left my room. Every thump echoed in my ears like a war drum, each beat a reminder that I was living on borrowed time. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the faint shimmer of light bleeding in through the curtains, my hands trembling in m
Zara’s POV For a long moment, neither of us moved. Kali’s eyes were locked on the dark, blood-stained bandage hanging from my hand, her chest rising and falling in shallow, frightened breaths. I could almost hear her heartbeat pounding in the silence between us. Her lips parted, but no sound
Zara's POV The late afternoon sun bathed the training grounds in soft golden lights as I stepped onto the field, balancing a small box of cupcakes in my hands. The scent of sugar and vanilla drifted up, mingling with the earthy smell of dust and sweat from the sparring soldiers. My eyes swept t







