Zina POV
Elara stiffened beside me, her fingers tightening on my arm. A prickle of unease crawled up my spine. The night was still, but the air felt charged—like something unseen was watching.
I exchanged a glance with Elara, her face now void of the raw emotion from before. It had been replaced with something colder, sharper.
"How many?" I asked the stranger, I really needed to know his name.
He didn't look at me. His gaze was locked on the darkness, muscles coiled like a predator waiting to strike. "At least three. Maybe more. They're close."
Dread coiled in my stomach, but I swallowed it down. I had survived worse. I could handle this.
Elara exhaled quietly, her hand dropping from my arm. "They're tracking us," she said under her breath. "They must've followed you."
The accusation was subtle, but it hit its mark. My jaw clenched. "I was careful."
"Not careful enough," she countered.
