Malric's Pov

The sound hit first, a sharp creak slicing through the suffocating silence.

My heart jerked in my chest.

The door.

For days, it had been sealed shut, an immovable thing mocking us. But now, it opened on its own, slowly and deliberately...as if the darkness itself was pulling it ajar.

Everyone froze. Ava's spoon clattered against her plate. Cory's head snapped up, eyes wide, his mouth still full. Reyna was already on her feet before I could even move.

I pushed back from the table so hard the chair screeched across the floor.

"What the hell..." I muttered, my pulse thundering.

We exchanged wary glances, and then we...