The medical wing emptied slowly, the mind healers filtering back in to check on Daniella, their faces a mixture of relief and lingering concern. Jared refused to leave her side, his hand clamped around hers like a lifeline, his eyes never leaving her face. I didn't blame him. If it had been Luke lying there, trapped in a nightmare, I wouldn't have moved either.

But I couldn't stay. The thing's words echoed in my head, cold and mocking: I will tear down everything you've built and watch you burn.

Luke followed me out of the medical wing, his hand on the small of my back, a silent anchor in the...