Raymond’s breath was ragged as he carried Caitlyn back into the sanctum, her body limp in his arms, a silent weight that he refused to let go. Her skin burned with unnatural heat, far hotter than any fever should have made her. He could feel it through the fabric of his clothes, the heat radiating off her like a furnace, an overwhelming force he couldn’t control.

Her eyes flickered between moonlight and blood-red, the glow shifting with every heartbeat, as though the very essence of her was being pulled between two worlds—two wills. His heart twisted with every step he took, the unbearable fear clutching his chest.

“Caitlyn…” he murmured,...