Lyla
I strolled, my barefoot pressing softly into the earth beneath me as I continued through the familiar path.
The morning sun streaked through the dense trees, casting a warm, golden glow that settled over my skin. Each breath I took was heavy, but there was peace in how my chest rose and fell – a calm that had been absent since everything had fallen apart.
Nathan had tortured me until I had no other choice but to take the blood oath.
So now, I still carried the bruises from the torture and had purposely refused to remember anything about it. Instead, I'd think of the future rather than the ordeal I'd had to go through. These days, the forest has become my sanctuary, as it had always been.
But now, it was also my healing ground. Since Nymeris died, the emptiness inside me seemed to grow deeper. The severed bond had left a hollow ache that pulsed every time I tried to reach for her.
