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Pain snapped through her as his teeth closed firmly around her tail, pulling her backward.

In her mind, his voice cut through the haze.

"It's the wall, Fae."

He tugged harder.

"Don't. Don't go closer."

The words broke through the fog that had begun to cloud her thoughts.

She looked at the darkness again, and this time, she saw it clearly.

The surface rippled, not like wind across water, but as though something pressed from the other side. Shapes moved within it—tall, thin forms that seemed almost human, but not quite. They leaned forward, indistinct yet watching.

Watching her.

A chill ran through her entire body.

The music faltered, its sweetness souring at the edges before disappearing completely.

It all became clear.

It was a lure.

Kenji did not wait. He began backing away slowly, never turning his gaze from the wall of darkness. Fae followed, step for careful step. Neither of them broke into a run; neither made a sound. The air felt taut, stretched like a wire.

Only when the trees thickened again behind them and the night sounds returned, did Kenji angle away, looping through the forest in a wide arc. He chose a different path back, avoiding whatever boundary they had nearly crossed.

They did not slow until the forest began to feel familiar once more.

Fae shifted first, her wolf dissolving into human form. The night air struck cool against her skin, her breath misting faintly. Her heart was still racing.

Kenji shifted beside her, but he did not land as gracefully as usual. He dropped to one knee, breath unsteady, hands braced against the ground.

Then he surged up and pulled her into his arms.He held her tightly, almost crushingly, as though checking that she was solid and real.

"Never do that again," he whispered, his voice rough and unsteady. "Never go there. Do you hear me? Never."

Fae felt the tremor in him. Not fear for himself, but for her.

She nodded slowly. She had almost stepped through something she might never have returned from.

Kenji released her abruptly, as though suddenly aware of how tightly he had been holding her. He stepped back, jaw tight, and turned away long enough for them both to gather their clothes.

They dressed in silence.

Even as she pulled her tunic over her head, she felt Blaidd.

His presence in her mind was no longer distant and foggy; it was frantic, calling her name through the bond, over and over.

"Fae."

She closed her eyes briefly and reached back along the thread that connected them.

"I'm fine," she sent.

The response came instantly—a surge of relief so strong it nearly knocked the breath from her again.