# CHAPTER 69 – THE WHISPER OF THE VOID
**POV: Vanessa**
*Burn them all.*
The voice came in the space between sleeping and waking. Right when my defenses were down and my mind was soft around the edges.
*They deserve it. After everything they've done to you.*
I jerked awake, heart hammering. The cabin was dark except for the dying embers in the fireplace. Damien was asleep in the chair across from me, his face peaceful in a way that made him look younger. Innocent.
*He'll betray you too, eventually. They all do.*
"Shut up," I whispered to the empty room.
But the voice didn't belong to the room. It belonged to something much darker. Much hungrier.
*You know I'm right. How many times have they promised to protect you? How many times have they failed?*
I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to push the whispers away. But they were inside my head now. Part of my own thoughts.
