Chapter 26

The forest seemed to shudder under the weight of that magical aura that seemed to emanate from the moonstone, its pulse beating like the heartbeat I felt inside me. I tried to steady myself when Avalor seized my hand, urging us forward. His golden eyes were burning with purpose in every movement forward toward ending this nightmare because with each step closer to the moonstone, the fear inside me was growing. I wasn't just protecting myself anymore; I was protecting our child.

I sloped my eyes toward Avalor. He was always the strong one, always the warrior. But if he knew what was going on, would that change his perception of me? Would he still see me as his world or would he see me as a liability—a weakness that could cost everything to us?

There was no time for what-ifs. Tension and older power hung in the air, thickening it into a heavy darkness. In the forest, Lucius watched and waited.

We had to keep moving.