SERAPHINA’S POV
Lucian collapsed at the same time Zara did.
Zara’s body hit the ground first with a dull thud, her eyes wide and lifeless as if a switch had been flipped to turn off whatever had animated her.
Lucian followed an instant later, falling into Evelyn’s arms before she could even fully process what had happened.
I saw her catch him. Saw her buckle under the weight.
And I saw her refuse to let go.
For a moment, I could not move.
Lucian had fallen unconscious—the steady rise and fall of his chest confirmed that.
But Zara—
My breath caught, and I couldn’t finish the thought.
It was Colin who broke the stillness first.
He stepped forward slowly, eyes narrowed with a look of disbelief refusing to give way to acceptance.
The air around him shifted as he extended his awareness outward, probing the remnants of the psychic battlefield like a surgeon checking for a pulse.
Then he exhaled, and I knew what he would say before he said it.
