Eldur's POV
I had just returned to my room after walking Nova back to hers.
The hallway had been quiet, draped in that velvet stillness the castle sometimes carried when everyone had settled into their secrets. She had smiled at me before closing her door—soft, a little sleepy. Her scent still lingered in the air around me, warm like vanilla and firewood. I could still hear her heartbeat in my ears, the soft rhythmic lull that calmed Aethros, who always stirred when she was near.
I collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, arms folded behind my head. I should have felt peaceful. I didn't.
Something… wasn't right.
Aethros growled deep within me, claws scratching at the edges of my consciousness. "She's not safe."
I sat up instantly.
"What do you mean she's not safe?" I demanded internally.
But Aethros didn't speak again.
He howled.
A sound that nearly shattered my skull with its urgency.
I didn't think. I didn't breathe. I opened a portal.
