The fog had lifted from the streets of Eldridge Hollow, but Marin's world felt heavier than ever. Every shadow in her bedroom seemed to twitch and stretch in ways that made her skin prickle. She hadn't slept—not really—not since Averic had revealed the curse, the chain, the danger that tied them together.
A knock at her window made her jump. Before she could react, Averic was there, perching effortlessly on the sill. His silver eyes glinted with something both dangerous and magnetic.
"You're ready," he said simply, voice low and smooth, almost a caress.
"I'm not," Marin whispered, though part of her ached to believe otherwise. She wanted to understand, to see, to touch the darkness he lived in—but fear held her frozen.
"You will be," he said, extending his hand. "Come with me. There's much you don't know, and time is not waiting for us."
Her pulse thundered as she placed her hand in his. The moment their fingers brushed, she felt a strange hum—an invisible tether pulling her closer, binding her in a way she didn't fully understand. The fog swirled around them, swallowing the familiar world.
And then, they stepped into the shadows.