Chapter 69

Briar’s POV

I didn’t like the witch. I remembered her, the same witch from the last time we met. I knew she didn’t like me either. I could see it in the way her lips curled faintly at the edges, how her gaze skimmed over me like I was something sour she’d tasted before. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly, cool and calculating.

The feeling was mutual, trust me.

She paced in front of us, thin hands clasped at her back. Her silvery hair fell in perfect, sleek waves over one shoulder, not a single strand out of place. It pissed me off a little—okay, a lot—that she could look so unbothered while my entire life unraveled.

"So," she began smoothly, gaze flicking briefly to Kai, then back to me, "you’ve awakened it."

"Apparently," I said, tone clipped.

Her brows lifted, faint amusement glittering behind her careful expression. "Do you even know what your ancestors sealed away, Briar?"

I hesitated, throat d