**Evelina's POV**“Because he didn’t want her to coerce him into using the bond against you,” Amaya revealed, sad eyes steady on me. “Why else do you think he never came for you sooner? One of the reasons was that as long as his mamma was alive, he couldn’t expose you to her. He didn’t want a situat
I was silent, remembering that the first time it had happened to me was actually at a college party. I attended with Robert. While he was playing beer pong, I’d been outside getting some fresh air. A drunk stranger’s hand had grazed my ass, and I’d been so surprised that by the time I’d realized som
A collective sigh of relief escaped our lips as Sister Agnes emerged from the shadows. I shot Amaya a sharp glare, annoyed by her unwarranted paranoia that had caused me unnecessary anxiety. I was going to have blood pressure issues at this rate.“You can never be too sure,” Amaya murmured, before t
**Evelina's POV**My heart pounded in my chest as I watched the strong gust of wind propel Gabe’s body through the air, careening straight towards the hard wooden altar table. The impact sent a sickening thud echoing through the quiet church. A lump of dread formed in the pit of my stomach, eyes wid
From the sky, a man dropped down smoothly. He wasn’t cloaked like all the other dark witches I’d seen so far. My eyes narrowed as he towered over me.“It is time to fulfill your destiny.” He spoke the words ominously. Clear evil blue eyes trained on me. Three more witches dropped down behind him, al
The witches before me pulled their hoods back, smiling in triumph.“It is time!” One of them declared with glee. “Decades of waiting and—”I dropped to my knees, my right hand touching the ground, my left still cupping streams of water dancing around my fingertips. The entire building began to shake
I blinked, head pounding as if someone had taken a jackhammer to the plates of my skull and was spreading them apart.“Don’t tell anyone yet,” I ordered with as much authority as I could muster. “I need…” I trailed off, closing my eyes and trying to concentrate on healing myself slowly. It was harde
**Evelina’s POV**“M****a!” Gabe cursed, sitting up and looking around, an arm thrown across me as if to hold me back.He still thought we were back in the church.“It’s OK…we’re safe.” I gently pushed against his arm, trying to move it away from my chest, but he wouldn’t relent.Waking up, his firs
I gave her one final hug before moving to start the fire. I felt her eyes on me as the crackle of the fire came to life, warmth spread quickly, casting flickering shadows on the surrounding trees. We worked together, gathering water from a nearby stream and finding edible berries that could serve a
**Gabe's POV**The forest seemed alive, its towering trees arching overhead like a natural cathedral. Their leaves were a rich, dark green, rustling softly in the cool night breeze. Evelina and I had been walking for a considerable amount of time, the moonlight barely filtering through the dense can
“Perhaps you’re right,” I murmured, turning to look at the glowing pillars. “It looks like the inscription of the riddle is changing again,” I muttered, squinting to look up at it. "Fire and water, two halves of a whole," Evelina read aloud, her voice tinged with awe. "In balance they stand, united
“Alright,” I said, my voice steadying as I forced myself to focus. “It’s made of shadows, right? Maybe light can weaken it.” “Fire!” Evelina exclaimed, her palms lighting up as she spoke. I nodded, a plan forming in my mind. "I'll distract it while you blast it with fire. Let's do this." With a n
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the rumbling sound faded and the earth beneath our feet ceased to shake. We sat on the ground in stunned silence and I blinked rapidly, realizing that the dials had been reset and we would have to start from the beginning. I looked over at Evelina, her ex
**Gabe’s POV**I gazed at the pillars, feeling a sense of reverence wash over me. They stood tall and imposing, made of dark gray stone and covered in intricate carvings that seemed to tell a story of their own. I felt a strange pull towards them, as if they held some kind of ancient power. At the
“Your turn!” I called. “This is going to be easy for you, mi vida.” I knew the missing planks were there—places I’d nearly stepped into myself. “You already saw—” but I stopped speaking when I saw the mist begin to swirl furiously in front of my very eyes, covering the entire bridge in a shroud of d
**Gabe’s POV** I stood at the edge of the ancient bridge, dark mists around us, as my heart pounded against my ribcage. I looked down into the thick mist swirling around the chasm below. There was nothing but darkness under the bridge. The bridge stretched out in front of us, its wooden planks worn
"Here lay the knights of the Order, tasked with protecting the Sacred Flame," Sister Agnes explained. I stared at the tombs, realizing that there was much more to the story of the Sacred Flame than was told in the book. We were missing a key piece of information. Why would the Sacred Flame need pr