Luna Everleigh's POV
***
The night air pressed against my skin like a whisper of something unseen, something waiting.
I stood at the edge of the ruined courtyard, staring at the moon. It should have been comforting—silver light spilling over the land, a reminder that we had survived. But instead, it felt distant. Cold. As if the moon no longer recognized me.
Something was wrong.
I had felt it since the moment we returned. At first, it was subtle—a flicker at the edge of my vision, a shiver that had nothing to do with the wind. But now, the feeling was clawing at my insides, wrapping around my ribs like unseen vines.
I wasn't alone in my own skin.
My fingers curled around the stone railing, knuckles white. I closed my eyes and reached deep within myself, searching for the familiar hum of my power—the warmth of the Lunar Guardian.
Nothing.
Instead, I felt something else.
Something cold.
Something dark.
A breath ghosted against my ear, though no one was there.
"Did you think I would leave so easily?"
I jerked away, my pulse hammering. My breath came in shallow gasps as I scanned the darkness, but the courtyard was empty.
Still, I knew the truth.
Morganna was gone. But part of her… part of her was still inside me.
—
To be continued