The moment Matt Slade finished speaking, he was gone—vanishing so abruptly that it was as though he had never existed at all. One blink, one breath, and the space where he had stood was empty.
Rory remained frozen for a heartbeat, the silence ringing in her ears. Then she lowered her gaze to the small liger cub curled at her feet. The little creature let out a soft, pitiful mewl, thin and uncertain, no different from the cry of a newborn kitten left searching for warmth. Something in her chest tightened painfully.
She bent down and gathered him into her arms with careful hands, cradling him close.
Nix had lost everything.
His abilities were gone. His human form had vanished. Even his power of speech—once sharp and unmistakably his—had been stripped away, leaving nothing behind but this fragile, pale-blue cub.
For once, Rory truly didn't know what to say. Words felt inadequate, useless in the face of such complete loss.
