bChapter /bb262 /b

    Aurora’s P.O.V

    I watch as the pendant’s light catches my eyes, the glow refracting off its surface, filling the dimly lit space with a strange, otherworldly shimmer. For the first time in what feels like an eternity, the pain that has been wing at my insides like a relentless beast begins to ebb away.

    The sharp, pounding ache dulls, the suffocating fog in my mind lifts, and suddenly–I can feel them. Caleb. Caroline. Their presence is no longer distant, no longer muddled by whatever force has been keeping me disconnected. A breath shudders from my lips, and before I can second–guess myself, bI /breach for Caleb through our bond.

    iCaleb/ii, /iI whisper into the void, my mental voice tinged with desperation. iI /iineed /iihelp/ii. /iiCaleb/ii…/ipleasei… /i

    There’s silence, just for a second–one agonizing second where doubt grips my throat like a vice. But then, his voice bursts through, raw with relief.

    iAurora/ii! /iiOh /iiGod/ii, /iiI /iithought /iiI /iilost /iiyou/ii. /iHe exhales sharply, his emotions crashing into me through the link. iI’m /iialmost /iithere/ii, /iiAurora/i, ibut /iiwe /iican’t /iifind /iiyou/ii. /iiThe house/ii–/iiit /iifeels /iiabandoned/ii. /iiNo /iienergy/ii, /iino /iiscent/i, inothing/i. iAre /iiyou /iisure /iiyou’re /iiinside/ii? /i

    I swallow hard, forcing myself to push down the dread curling in my stomach. My gaze lifts to the single source of light above me–a jagged hole in the ceiling, sunlight streaming through like a beacon. But even as I watch, the glow dims, the edges of the sun already beginning to vanish behind the encroaching eclipse. My heart stutters.

    iCaleb/ii, /iilisten /ito mei, /iI say, my mental voice sharper now, more urgent. iWhere /iI am, ithere’s /ia ihole /iin ithe /iiceiling/i–I ican /isee ithe /iisky/ii. /iiIt’s /iiprobably the /iiattic/i, isomewhere /iiwith /iia /isun–roof. iBut /iiyou /ineed to hurry. The sun–it’s ialmost /iipletely eclipsed/i.

    There’s a pause, then a muffled curse. iShit/ii. /iHang on, we’reing. iJust /ihold on for me, okayi? /i

    The bond flickers with his emotions–determination, fear, something deeper that he doesn’t have time to voice. I bite down on my lip, my hands tightening into fists. I can’t afford to be weak right now. Not when I knowi, /iwith every fiber of my being, that time is running out.

    Caleb’s voice rings out through my mind, his words firm yet desperate. Aurora, just hold on a little longer. iI /iswear, iI’ll /iibe /itherei. /iJust don’t give up-

    Then, silence.

    The connection was cut off so suddenly that it felt like a cruel joke. I try to grasp at our bond but to no avail, my breath uneven, my heart pounding against my ribs. But before I could process the loss of that one bst /btether to hope, the room around me lurched, swaying as though the world itself had

    been thrown off bnce. A wave of dizziness mmed into me, stealing my strength. I blinked, trying to focus, but my vision blurred at the edges, dark spots dancing in my periphery.

    Blood loss.

    The realization settled like a lead weight in my gut. My skin felt cold, the warmth steadily draining from my limbs. I flexed my fingers weakly, trying to reach the ropes that bound me, but my hands wouldn’t obey, trembling too much from exhaustion. My breath hitched as frustration wed at my throat. I had to move. I had to get out of here.

    Then, in the dim light, my gaze flickered toward Ashton. His body slumped against his restraints, his face pale, but his chest still rose and fell in uneven breaths. He was barely conscious, but his hands- his hands were within reach.

    Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I forced my fingers to move, stretching toward his ropes. My nails scraped against the rough fibers, the tips of my fingers barely brushing the knot. My body screamed in protest, but I clenched my teeth, refusing to stop. The knot was tight, but desperation fueled me, my fingers working numbly at the binding.

    “Ashton,” I rasped, my throat raw, barely more than a whisper over the chanting in the background. “Stay with me. I need you.”

    A groggy groan escaped him, his head lolling slightly before his eyes cracked open, unfocused and heavy. Then, as if sensing what I was doing, rity bleeds into his gaze. He stiffened, the haze in his expression thinning as reality hit him.

    “Aurora” His voice was weak, but his fingers twitched, moving as I finally loosened the knot enough for his wrist to slip free.

    I exhaled sharply, watching as he forced his/sluggish limbs into action. He winced but pushed through, his hands fumbling to untie my restraints. The second the ropes fell away, I slumped forward, my legs barely catching me before I hit the stone floor. A sharp pain shot through my body, but I forced myself to stand, my bnce swaying dangerously. I had no time for weakness.

    Chapter Comments