Ester's breathing was rhythmic, but heavy. Not from fatigue, but from the speed with which she advanced. Her feet barely touched the snow before the next step launched her forward. The chill of the storm didn't matter; the wind that lashed her face didn't bother her. What moved her wasn't the weather, nor the destination. It was that aura.
A presence. Wild. Colossal. Full of fury and instability.
And something else… a familiar remnant mixed with it.
Her heart lurched when she realized it. Damon.
She accelerated even more, her body molding to the rhythm of her run. Frozen branches snapped against her cloak, trees scratched her skin like claws, but Ester ignored it all. Her eyes shone with the reflection of the snow and a cold flame that burned in her soul.
With each step, the aura became clearer, more unbearable. The whole world seemed to be tilting in that direction, as if the forest were merely a stage for an inevitable encounter.
Until she saw it.
