Chapter 152

** Paige’s POV ** The forest is quiet and still. The only movements are the leaves as they flutter in the breeze, and the enforcers who are spread out wide, keeping a perimeter around us. Remy’s the one who breaks the quiet. “There’s residue,” he murmurs, crouching beside the bank. “I can’t tell if it’s chemical, it doesn’t have a scent that I can detect.” Ronnie joins him, rolling up his sleeves. “Don’t touch the water directly,” he warns. “Even trace amounts of the poison can be lethal.” Before I can stop myself, I move closer. The pull is instinctive… a strange, magnetic urge that makes my pulse speed up. The creek looks ordinary, but something hums beneath its surface, like a heartbeat buried under layers of dirt and stone. I kneel, ignoring Ryder’s sharp, “Paige…” and reach out. The moment my fingers touch the water, the world seems to still. Ripples shimmer outward, and light blooms where there shouldn’t be any, soft, liquid gold laced with silver, swirling out in patterns. It do