~Kaida Orion POV~
Lupus's weight sagged against me. "Kaida… you'll get hurt…"
"I'm not leaving you," I said, almost choking on the words.
Then the ground under us shifted... soft snow giving way to something wet and sinking. I looked down and the shadow's darkness was spreading under the surface, swallowing the earth itself.
It wasn't just after Lupus it wanted both of us.
Biat must have seen it too, because his shout came sharp and urgent. "Move!"
I dragged Lupus forward, stumbling through the snow as the blackened ground chased our heels and the forest around us blurred, my breath tearing in my chest.
Then, just as we reached a ridge of frozen earth, something slammed into my back. The force sent me sprawling forward, Lupus slipping from my grasp.
I hit the ground hard, my palms scraping against ice, when I looked up, my blood turned to ice.
