The first mistake they made was assuming fear still ruled me.I felt them long before they crossed the boundary—before the wards murmured their unease, before Dimitri stiffened beside me, before Jason’s attention sharpened into that familiar, lethal focus.It began as a wrongness in the air.Not pressure. Not heat.Distortion.The garden had been calm that afternoon, sunlight filtering through leaves in slow, lazy patterns. Mateo was nearby, trimming dead blossoms with quiet care, humming under his breath. It was peaceful enough that my shoulders had finally loosened, my power resting low and steady inside me.Then the rhythm of the world stuttered.A bird took flight and froze midair—not suspended, but… uncertain, as if reality had forgotten which rule to apply. The sound of the fountain hiccupped, water splashing out of time.I stood slowly.“Do you feel that?” Mateo asked, already straightening.“Yes,” I said. “And they want me to
Last Updated : 2026-01-07
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