The Gathering Storm

Chapter 27

The Gathering Storm

Quinton’s POV

The ash swirled around me, thick and suffocating, as I stood frozen in place, staring at the charred remains of what had once been our safe haven. The cabin was gone, reduced to rubble and smoldering debris. But none of that mattered. Not the destruction, not the fire that had ripped through the woods. All I could think of was Fiona.

My chest tightened with a panic I couldn’t control. She was nowhere to be found.

“Fiona!” I shouted, my voice hoarse as I ran forward, ignoring the heat that radiated from the embers beneath my feet.

I could still feel her. She was alive, but her presence was weak, distant. The bond between us pulsed faintly, like a dying heartbeat, and it terrified me.

I stumbled through the clearing, my eyes scanning the wreckage for any sign of her. But there was nothing—just ash and smoke. My hands shook as I sifted through the debris, frantic. She couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t.

“Where are you?” I muttered under my breath,