Lyra's POV
The infirmary door exploded inward.
The sound hit me first. Wood crashing against stone, followed by rapid footsteps pounding across the floor. Then Kaelen appeared, his massive frame blocking out everything else. His shoulders were rigid, his eyes wild with something between panic and desperate hope.
"Lyra."
Just my name. Nothing more. But the way it tore from his throat, raw and shattered and flooded with relief, sent something splintering through my ribcage.
Despite everything, despite my throat still burning from screaming and my hands trembling and the ghostly weight of shackles around my wrists, I found myself smiling. I couldn't stop it.
He cleared the space between us in seconds and crashed into me.
