Kael's POV
The low, rhythmic beep of the hospital monitor was the only sound in the suffocating silence. The IV drip fed the last of the antidote into Kael's veins, pushing out the poison that had rendered him useless. His muscles no longer trembled, his senses sharpened, his body stronger.
But not strong enough.
Not fast enough.
Not enough to save her.
His fingers curled into the stiff sheets, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. The antidote had worked. The healers had done their part. Seraphine had saved his life.
But none of it mattered.
Because Opal was gone.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his fingers against his temples as if the pressure could drown out the relentless storm inside his head. But it wouldn't stop. It wouldn't let him go.
The moment kept replaying like a curse, a never-ending nightmare he couldn't wake from.
The shift in the air.
The crack of blue lightning slicing through the night.
The car flipping.
Her scream.
Then—nothing.
