Page 129 of Unveiled

Adrian shook his head. “We must. I saw the other cracks. The valley is breaking everywhere. We can stop them.”

“At what cost?”

Adrian reached up, brushing his fingers against Connor’s cheek.

“At the cost of being Valour.”

Connor closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. “You’re going to kill yourself.”

Adrian smiled. “Not with you beside me.”

Connor huffed. “We’ll do it together. But don’t use that power without me there to anchor you. Ever. Understood?”

Adrian nodded. “Understood.”

Connor exhaled shakily, pulling Adrian into a fierce embrace.

And outside their window the Whispering Wood rustled.

Its voice carried on the wind. Valours. One shadow. Two hearts. A gift. A burden. Use it wisely. Use it soon.

Connor held Adrian tighter.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Adrian

Adrian woke before dawn with a sharp gasp.

The castle was too loud.

Not with voices or movement. Those he could manage. It was the way the walls seemed to breathe, stone inhaling and exhaling. The floor pressed rhythm into his bones until his pulse fell out of sync with his body.

Connor woke instantly. “Adrian. Hey.” He brushed hair out of Adrian’s eyes. “Talk to me.”

Adrian pressed a hand hard against his chest, fingers digging in as though he could anchor something that was trying to tear loose. “It’s too loud.”

“What is?”

“The valley,” he managed, eyes squeezed shut. “Everything’s humming. All the faultlines at once. Like they’ve found me.”

Connor pulled him close with firm arms. “Then stop listening.”

A hollow sound escaped Adrian. Something between a laugh and a breath. “I can’t ignore the ground.”

“Then listen to me instead.”

Adrian leaned forward, forehead resting against Connor’s throat, breathing shallow and uneven. “I can’t drown it out.”

Connor tightened his hold. “Then I’ll do it for you.”

The pressure didn’t ease.

By midday Adrian hadn’t eaten. The mark pulsed under his shirt, heat rising and falling in slow, relentless waves. He tried picking at his food but didn’t have any interest in it.

Connor watched him from across the study table. “How long have your hands been doing that?”

“Doing what?”