Replaced by His First Love
Beside me, Kael’s heart stuttered under my hand—a dual, syncopated rhythm that vibrated directly against my palm.
“Then we find the last piece,” Kael whispered, his eyes fixed on the dark. “The soul of the First Prime... the heart the mountain has been waiting for.”
The heart... I thought, the realization colder than the air. The final piece Kael had whispered about in his fever dreams, the one the mountain had been starving for centuries.
“The heart...” Leo murmured, his small voice trembling. “I can feel it calling me home.”
My throat tightened so violently I couldn't draw a single breath. I pulled my hand away from Kael’s chest, the sensation of his draining heat making my fingertips go n