Sienna couldn't breathe. The air felt thick, heavy, suffocating her, as if the entire room was closing in on her. Her heart pounded so violently in her chest that she thought it might burst, and the sound of her breath was shallow and frantic. Every part of her body screamed to run, but she couldn't move. She was frozen, paralyzed by the weight of what was happening.
Kael's voice, distant and frantic, echoed in her ears. "Sienna! We have to go. Now!"
But the words barely registered. All she could focus on was the figure in front of her. The one who had appeared out of nowhere, standing taller than anything she had ever seen, casting a shadow so dark it seemed to consume everything around it.
Darius, crumpled against the wall, was struggling to breathe, his wide, terrified eyes fixed on her. But even in his panic, Sienna could sense something more. He wasn't afraid for himself. He was afraid for her.
