Chapter 238

Lily's Pov

The air was thick, almost liquid, as if the night itself was leaning in to listen. I could feel the pulse of the ritual circle beneath my fingertips, each symbol carved into the earth thrumming with the rhythm of something far older than language.

The flames of the candles burned low, flickering in unnatural patterns. Sideways, downward, sometimes spiraling as if drawn toward an invisible drain.

Enrique stood opposite me, eyes fever-bright, his hands wrapped tightly around the talisman. In between us was the young lad, Ivan. He was placed in the middle of the symbol I had mapped out. He was conscious, although he looked otherwise overpowered by the magic in the air.

The veins along his arms glowed faintly, pulsing like molten metal beneath skin. He looked… radiant, terrifyingly so, as though he were not entirely human anymore.

I had prepared for this night for years. Every chant memorized, every sigil carved into my bones through repetition. I had been of the notion, withou