IRIS’S POVThe sound of the hiss was the sound of my childhood dying.I recognized that smell instantly—the cloying, artificial sweetness of the tincture. It was thicker than the air, a heavy, invisible fog that began to coil around our ankles in the cramped darkness of the cave. My lungs seized, not from the gas itself yet, but from the sheer, paralyzing terror of what it represented."Darius," I choked out, my hands tightening on his shoulders.He was already reacting. His body, which had been a warm, solid sanctuary only seconds ago, began to shudder. I felt the muscles in his arms twitch violently, his grip on me faltering as the neuro-suppressant began to attack his wolf. The gold in his eyes flickered, the light dying out as the black of his pupils expanded, swallowed by the drug."Out," he rasped, his voice sounding like it was being dragged through gravel. "Iris... get out.""I'm not leaving you!"I slid down his body, my feet hitting the cold stone. I grabbed his hand, trying
Last Updated : 2026-01-20 Read more