Chapter 93

• The night did not recover after he left.
• The forest should have returned to its ordinary noises—branches breathing, insects murmuring, distant wolves moving through underbrush. But the silence remained. Not empty. Waiting.
• Ariana didn’t move from the balcony. She kept her hand where Demion’s lay over hers. His warmth was steady—real—anchored. This was in stark contrast to the presence that had stood beneath them moments ago. But her body felt cold beneath her skin, as if the Dark Lord’s shadow lingered there.