SERAPHINA’S POV
We—Kieran, Tobias, Evelyn, my mother, and I—emerged through the treeline in a staggered formation.
The explosion still echoed inside my head.
Every muscle in my body felt tight with residual adrenaline, my nerves stretched raw from the collapse of the chamber and the sight of Catherine vanishing into the heart of her own detonation, just like Marcus had.
Part of me kept expecting her to reappear. Catherine had survived too much, manipulated too much, to disappear so neatly and absolutely.
The uncertainty sat like a stone lodged in my throat, refusing to settle.
Beside me, Kieran was no better. His shoulders remained rigid, his eyes constantly sweeping the terrain ahead, every instinct braced for another attack.
The mate bond carried the edge of his vigilance into me, a steady current of readiness pulsing beneath the exhaustion we both felt.
Evelyn hovered beside Tobias, her expression pinched and tense as she scanned the surrounding battlefield.
