KAEL'S POV
Ayla lay against me, trembling, her breath shallow, her body far too light in my arms. My fire should have been enough to warm her, but she still shook as though she'd been carved out of ice.
And beneath her skin—I could feel it.
The Binder's presence hadn't left. It pulsed there, faint and venomous, coiled like a serpent beneath her heartbeat.
I wanted to rip it out with my claws. To burn until nothing remained. But every time my flames flared hotter, her body tensed like she was caught between two worlds—mine and its. If I wasn't careful, I'd sear her along with the thing festering inside.
Her lashes fluttered, and when her eyes opened, silver light flickered across them, chased by shadows. She whispered my name, soft, desperate.
"Kael…"
I bent lower, pressing my forehead against hers. "I'm here."
She swallowed hard. "It isn't gone."
The words were a knife I already knew was buried in us both.
