Chapter 74. Ash Does Not Sleep

The scent of ash still clung to Aria’s skin long after they’d left the glade.

It coated her clothes, buried itself in her hair, and clung to the roof of her mouth like smoke swallowed too deep. Every step back toward the compound felt heavier. Like she was dragging something invisible behind her. Or maybe inside her.

Kade walked ahead, silent but tense—the kind of silence that could snap if breathed on wrong. He hadn’t looked at her once since the fire.

Jules limped beside her, eyes dark with worry. Their shoulder was bruised, ribs likely cracked, but they hadn’t complained once. It wasn’t like them to hold back. That alone unsettled Aria more than the creature had.

When the compound gates came into view—towering, cold, etched with protective sigils that no longer felt protective—no one spoke. Kade gave a sharp whistle, and the guards opened the outer gate without question.

No one asked where they’d been. Or why Kade’s shirt was soaked with blood. Or wh