Viene’s POVNathan hadn’t moved since the symbol finished forming.He stood by the door, staring at my collarbone like the shape underneath it had rearranged something inside him too. His hands were closed into fists at his sides, knuckles pale. A thin sheen had broken out along his hairline, the kind of sweat that came from effort, not heat.“Nathan,” Neil said. No answer.“Nathan.” Sharper this time.He didn’t look up. A muscle worked in his throat, once, hard, like he was fighting something down that didn’t want to stay down. His breathing had changed — shallow, too fast, nothing like the controlled stillness he usually wore like armor. His shoulders had started to shake, just slightly, the kind of tremor a person gets from holding a weight they can’t put down.“Something’s wrong with him,” I said.“He’s fighting it,” Nolan said, already moving toward his brother. “Whatever the mark just did, it hit him harder than the rest of us.”Nathan’s head came up at the word fighting, and fo
Last Updated : 2026-09-01 Read more