The sky bled fire.
Crimson cracks spiderwebbed across the heavens, pulsing like veins with every thrum of energy that rippled through the earth. Aria's breath caught as she shielded her eyes against the blinding glow. The celestial wound had torn wider, like a mouth mid-scream, its howl more felt than heard. Her heart slammed in her chest. Something ancient—older than memory—had awakened.
Caleb lay on the ground, pale and motionless, the faint light that had once shimmered beneath his skin now boiling to the surface. Glowing runes etched themselves along his arms, chest, and throat, threading together like living vines of starlight. His lips parted, eyes fluttering.
"Caleb!" Aria dropped beside him, her hands cradling his face. The moment her skin touched his, a current rushed through her—raw, wild, and hungry.
His eyes opened. Not brown. Not gold.
Silver.
Bright and unyielding like moonlight on water. His voice, when it came, wasn't his.
