Chapter 167

• Lily’s POV
• The fire in the cave crackled, providing a little warmth and bathing the darkness outside in light. Ethan’s strong arm was wrapped around me, his heartbeat calm against my back—the only anchor in this terrible night. After I had bared my heart, given myself so completely, the calm that followed felt more precious than I could ever have imagined.
• The future was still a fog of danger—the curse lurking within me, Nightshade watching from the shadows, and the mad vengeance John and Grace would inevitably unleash. But in that moment, Ethan’s quiet, steady "I love you" felt like an invisible shield. The fear was still there, but it no longer tore me apart.