#Chapter 69: Salt and Blood

DEREK I’ve heard Elena scared before. Once when she woke up from a nightmare, gasping like she was still trapped underwater. Another time, because a mouse had darted across her foot when she was in the Silverclaw stables. But I had never heard her like this. Not like now. The sound in her voice was almost animal. Not just fear—it was terror. Desperate, raw. Her body was trembling with it, I could hear her heart pounding through her ribs like a war drum. I could smell it on her. Salt and blood and something acrid, sharp. And Aiden— The kid looked like he was holding himself together by a thread. His feet dragged in the sand as the rogue pulled him slowly toward the waiting boat. His face was pale, jaw clenched tight, trying not to cry. And under the pale edge of his jaw… Blood. A thin red line trickled down his neck. Just a drop or two. But it told me everything I needed to know. That blade had already broken skin. The rogue’s hand was too tight. His movement