Two years had passed since we planted the sapling in the clearing where the abyss once tried to swallow us whole. The tree now stood tall and strong, its leaves a deep emerald that shimmered with the same faint glow as the veins beneath my skin. Thornwood had become more than a home. It was a living testament to everything we had survived and chosen.I stood on the newly built balcony overlooking the eastern woods, the morning sun warm on my face. My body had changed in subtle ways. The emerald veins along my collarbones, wrists, and spine were more pronounced now, glowing steadily when I felt deep contentment. I no longer feared them. They were part of me, just as Silas’s marble veins, Rook’s horns, and Wren’s cracked silver eye were part of them.Soft footsteps approached. Silas’s arms slid around me from behind, his stone veined left hand resting possessively over my stomach. The cool marble contrasted beautifully with his living warmth.“You’re up early,” he murmured, lips brushin
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