Chapter 18 The Forbidden Touch

The forest was suffocatingly still, save for the occasional rustling of branches swaying in the wind. But in this patch of woods, there was no wind, no movement except the sound of Lila’s and Kai’s hurried footsteps, their breath ragged and shallow from the relentless chase they had just escaped. Kai kept a few steps ahead, his silhouette barely visible in the darkness, and he formed a shadow amongst shadows. Lila followed, each step pounding the earth beneath her, her mind still racing with the night’s chaos. The agents—Vera’s betrayal—everything was falling apart. And yet, in the chaos, there was one constant: Kai.