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A groan from Bryn yanked me out of my thoughts. The white light was fading from her eyes, and the circle was dimming, too. Soon, her eyes returned to normal, and she fell back, her body convulsing.

Chapter 24

Bryn

When I came back to the present, I found myself on the cold ground, trembling in the wake of the ritual and everything I’d experienced. Night appeared at my side in an instant, crouching next to me and gathering me into his arms. I shivered against the heat of his body. All the warmth had left my body during that ritual, as if seeing through my mother’s eyes had sucked some of my vitality out of me.

“Bryn, are you okay?” My mate’s murmured words permeated the heavy cloud of disorientation.

I gave a shaky nod and a shakier thumbs up.

He let out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh and lifted me in his arms like a bride. I felt a pang of sadness as he carried me. Lucian—my father—had done this with my mother in the moments before her death. He’d been just as tender as Night was