Her face was completely clean of the gray soot now; there was no point in wearing a disguise anymore. The box from yesterday had made it clear that her hiding game was completely finished.
*Gasp.*
*Gasp.*
Her breath came in short, ragged gasps that hurt her chest. The thick cloth wrapper she usually wore around her neck was gone. The skin below her collarbone was burning so hot it felt like a flame was licking her flesh, and the faint smell of singed skin rose into her nose.
Beneath her collar, the black manticore crest was fully alive. The dark, ink-like lines were pulsing with a blinding, wicked purple light that shot sharp lines of agonizing pain straight up into her jawline and down into her energy core.
Every single time a flash of lightning tore through the sky outside, Lin Wan's inner core would twist with a sharp, violent cramp. She was connected to him.
