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Luna
The void has shifted around us, reshaping itself into a labyrinth of jagged stone and unnatural shadows, like Severin is twisting the world beneath our feet just to remind us that we are still in his domain.
We make camp as far as we can from the prison that held Silas and Riven, but there is no real safety here. The Hollow doesn’t have shelter, only ruins, remnants of something ancient and long-devoured. The land itself pulses beneath my feet, as if it’s alive, as if it’s aware of us.
But none of that matters right now.
Because Layla is here. My sister. My blood. The piece of me I never expected to see again, standing in front of me like a ghost pulled straight from my past.
The others are busy securing the perimeter, pretending not to watch as I grab Layla’s wrist and pull her away from the group. I don’t care what they think. I need answers.
Layla tugs back, her familiar stubbornness flashing in her dark eyes. “You’re not just going to drag me off like some scolded child- ”
“You were supposed to be safe.” My voice is low, shaking with something I can’t contain. “You were supposed to be back at the house, away from all of this.”
Layla lets out a sharp breath, shaking her head. “And you were supposed to tell me what the hell was going on before I had to find out like this.”
I release her, fingers curling into fists at my sides. “How was I supposed to explain this, Layla?” My throat tightens. “What, you wanted me to call you and say, ‘Hey, turns out I’m bonded to a group of ancient, inescapable nightmares, and our family history is a fucking disaster, how’s your day going?’”
She crosses her arms. “It would’ve been better than silence.”
My jaw clenches. I want to tell her she’s wrong. That nothing would have made this easier to hear. That no version of that conversation would have changed what she’s standing in now.
But she’s here. And nothing I say changes that.
I exhale, dragging a hand through my hair. “You don’t belong in this, Layla.”
Her expression hardens. “But I do, don’t I? The Sin-Binder’s blood runs through both of us. And you, ” she swallows, voice going quieter, almost hesitant, “you feel it, don’t you? The way I do.”
I didn’t want to acknowledge it before, but I can feel it now, something inside her that mirrors what’s inside me. A thread of power, thin but undeniable, humming in her bones like a second heartbeat. It’s not the same as mine, not exactly, but it’s close.
Too close.
I shift, the weight of it pressing against my ribs. “When did you start feeling it?”
Layla hesitates. “Not long after you left.” Her arms tighten around herself. “It started as dreams. Whispers. Then… it got stronger. Like something was waking up inside me.”
I stare at her.
Because I know that feeling.
I lived it.
The realization makes my stomach turn, makes my pulse thrum harder in my ears. If Layla has the Sin-Binder’s power, even just a fraction of it, Severin will want her.
And he won’t stop until he gets her.
I inhale sharply. “You should have stayed away.”
Layla’s gaze flickers with something unreadable. “And let you go through this alone?” She shakes her head. “I’m here now, Luna. Whatever this is, whatever’s coming, ” her voice steadies, “you’re not the only one carrying it anymore.”
I don’t know how to be someone who isn’t alone. I don’t know how to let someone else carry this. But Layla is here. And it changes everything.
She has this look. I know that look. It’s the same one she used to give me when I’d come home with bruised knuckles and a carefully curated list of lies. It’s her tell, when she wants answers but is waiting for me to hand them over first.
She’s never been patient.
“So,” she finally says, drawing out the word like she’s savoring it. “Are we going to talk about the fact that you’re sleeping with multiple guys, or are you going to pretend you don’t know what I’m asking?”