Chapter 87
Emmaline POV
Ken exhales deeply, the sound drawn out and tired. His usually impassive face is pinched with concern as he rises to his feet, the silver nose ring glinting in the light from the window. He rubs the back of his neck, his gaze flicking between me and Daelan's unconscious form.
I can't look away from Daelan—not when he's lying there, perfectly still, perfectly silent, like some glass sculpture that might never move again.
Ken pulls another mana-tether string from his pouch and gently ties it to my pinky, linking it to the crystal already connected to Daelan's. The thin cord pulses faintly, a thread of light between us.
"This is going to burn," Ken says quietly.
I nod.
He opens my palm and places his hand over it. A searing heat blooms immediately—too sharp, too sudden—and I hiss through my teeth. My skin flares white-hot for a second, but I force myself not to pull away.
