Rowan's POV
Maeve had gone still, frozen mid-step, her hands trembling, eyes wide.
And then… they weren't her eyes anymore. Black. No white, no color, just shadows swirling beneath the surface.
"Damn it," Elias muttered beside me.
I felt a flicker of instinctual fear when her head jerked up, as if she'd suddenly noticed the world in a new, terrifying way.
Shadows coiled around her like living smoke, curling over the edges of the tables, over the spines of books, over our feet. I could feel the pull of it even before it touched me, like invisible fingers dragging me toward the void that radiated from her.
"Maeve…" I whispered, trying to reach her, to anchor her somehow, but the words barely left my throat.
Then, without warning, a flick of her hand sent Elias flying into me. We both tumbled backward, the floor slamming against my shoulder as my heart thudded in my chest like it was trying to escape.
