C22 THE REMAINING FIRE

The jungle was silent.

Not the kind of silence that comes with peace — but the kind that follows after the world has ended.

Elara knelt among the ashes, her palms pushed against the still-warm earth where Damon had vanished. His aroma lingered softly in the air - smoke, shadows, and something darker that made her chest ache.

She could still feel the echo of him inside her