The floor shattered into fire, and we fell.We didn't fall far.The fissure caught us on a jagged ledge, barely wide enough for three bodies and a child. The host's claws scraped empty air above us, a rhythmic, metallic screech that set my teeth on edge before the darkness swallowed the sound into silence—only the distant crack of rock settling like bones after a break.My back hit stone first. Pain lanced through my ribs, hot and bright, but the cold that came after hurt more—the kind that seeped in through every seam, turning breath to frost on my lips. Leo's weight was still against my chest, small and trembling, his fingers knotted in my coat like he thought if he let go the dark would take him for good.I tasted blood and regret on my tongue—iron from where I'd bitten through my lip, and the older taste of promises I couldn't keep.Leo shifted, just enough to press his face into the hollow of my throat. His breathing came in short, wet hitches, not quite crying, not quite not.“M
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