Mai's P.O.V.
The wind outside howled like a wounded beast, tearing through the trees like it was trying to rip the entire forest apart. I sat on the wooden porch steps, my knees tucked against my chest, glaring at the invisible barrier that had kept me imprisoned for five days. Five. Long. Days. I had tried everything—running, digging, throwing anything I could get my hands on—but Eldur's magic held firm. The barrier shimmered faintly when I touched it, taunting me.
I wasn't scared. I was pissed.
How the hell had I even ended up here?
One moment, I had been talking with Liam. The next, Eldur had appeared—silver eyes dim but filled with something disturbingly close to devotion. Before I could react, his magic had wrapped around me like invisible chains. The world had blurred, and then—bam. A dense forest. And before I could even process that, we were here. Just like that. Like a roller coaster with no brakes, no warning, no escape.
I was trapped.
