Dragon Child's tone was sharp and impatient. The others had been so engrossed in their chatter that they seemed to forget she was still crouched beside Leo, pouring her strength into water-based healing magic just to keep him breathing. The man had been mauled beyond recognition—more than thirty wounds carved into his flesh, each one a grotesque reminder of whoever had attacked him. It was a miracle he was still alive.
Earlier that day, the Whitmore family had felt a tremor ripple through the sealed entrance to their Hidden Territory. Someone had forced it open from the outside. Markham had rushed there first, assuming the missing Leo had finally returned on his own. But when they arrived, they found him collapsed inside the Territory itself—unconscious, mangled, and barely clinging to life.
