Chapter 29: Sight

MAEVE

His lips claimed mine with a hunger that left no room for hesitation. There was nothing tentative about it—just a fierce, consuming need that sent heat flooding through me. I felt his hands slide up my back, pulling me closer, his fingers pressing into my skin as if he couldn't bear any distance between us. I met his intensity with my own, our breaths mingling as I let myself sink into the kiss, tasting him, letting my tongue sweep against his, deepening the kiss until it was a heady mix of warmth and want. It was rough and tender all at once, like a battle neither of us wanted to win.

When he pulled back, I barely had a second to catch my breath before his mouth found the corner of my lips, then traced a line along my jaw, his teeth grazing just enough to send a shiver racing down my spine. My fingers twisted into his shirt, holding him close, not wanting him to stop. His lips moved lower, leaving a trail of heat along the sensitive skin of my neck, and I let out a breathy gasp as his teeth nipped at my skin, just enough to leave a faint ache, a reminder of his touch.

He shifted, his hands sliding lower, one settling firmly on my waist while the other tangled in my hair, pulling me gently to expose more of my neck. His mouth traced down, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along my throat, every brush of his lips sending sparks through me. His breath was warm, his teeth grazing my collarbone as he pressed a kiss there, and I tilted my head back, feeling like I was drowning in him, in the heat of his touch, the intensity that had built between us all evening.

My eyes fluttered open, barely focused, catching a glimpse of the mirror behind him. For a second, I saw us reflected there, tangled together, his hands possessively wrapped around me, his mouth pressing against my neck. But as I looked closer, something shifted in the reflection — a shadow flickered at the edges, and the image warped, stretching until it was no longer us in the mirror.

I blinked, but the change didn't vanish. Instead, I found myself staring at a twisted scene that seemed to spill out from the mirror itself. I was no longer on the couch, no longer wrapped in Ronan's arms. The warmth faded, replaced by a cold, harsh wind that bit into my skin, and I was alone, standing in a strange, dark place that reeked of blood and smoke.

Around me, figures shifted in and out of the shadows. Wolves prowled, their eyes gleaming in the dim light, snarling as they lunged forward, teeth bared. On the other side, dark, cloaked figures moved with deadly precision, sending waves of power crashing across the battlefield. It was like I'd been dropped into a war zone, and every howl, every flash of power seemed to reverberate through me, as if I were feeling each blow, each cry of pain.

The battle raged on, a maelstrom of blood and fire. Fire spells erupted, engulfing the snarling wolves in a blaze of searing pain. Their fur turned to ash, their howls silenced by the inferno. The witches fought back, their dark magic tearing through the air, ripping flesh from bone. The scent of singed fur and charred flesh filled the air, a sickening reminder of the brutality unfolding.

Wolves, their eyes gleaming with feral hunger, leaped through the flames, tearing into the witches with razor-sharp claws. Blood sprayed in crimson arcs, staining the ground beneath them. The witches, undeterred, retaliated with spells that pierced the wolves' hides, causing them to writhe in agony.

Amidst the chaos, a witch's scream pierced the air, as a wolf sank its teeth into her shoulder. The metallic tang of blood mingled with the acrid scent of burning flesh. Another witch shot a bolt of lightning, electrocuting the beast, its body convulsing violently before collapsing in a lifeless heap.

The ground trembled under the weight of the battle, as the clash of magic and primal violence intensified. The wolves, their eyes ablaze with unyielding fury, lunged at the witches, tearing into their bodies with savage hunger. Limbs were torn from torsos, entrails spilled across the battlefield, and the once serene landscape transformed into a horrific tableau of carnage.

My breath caught in my throat, I couldn't tell if there were familiar faces among the chaos — fighting, bleeding. I wanted to scream, to run to them, but I couldn't move. My feet rooted to the spot, forced to watch as the carnage unfolded around me. Every instinct screamed at me to help, but my body refused to obey, frozen in place. I could feel their pain.

And then, in the midst of it all, I saw her — the girl.

In the center of the battlefield, untouched by the blood and fury surrounding her, a figure stood like a haunting beacon in the chaos. The girl was pale, almost luminous, with flowing black hair that cascaded down her back in a wild, glossy river, stark against the eerie white dress clinging to her slender frame. She looked like a wraith—out of place, impossibly still amid the whirlwind of violence and terror around her.

At first, I thought she was… me. She had the same build, the same outline of features that felt so achingly familiar. I reached out instinctively, but something stopped me, an unsettling chill sinking into my bones as I looked closer. No, this wasn't me. There was something deeper, something ancient in her presence, as if she carried all the sorrows of the world in her eyes.

She stood quietly, her head slightly bowed, as though the carnage around her were just a distant noise. Her gaze lifted, and our eyes met across the battlefield. I was caught, frozen, transfixed by the depths of sorrow in her dark eyes. It wasn't the simple sadness of a single moment; it was centuries-old, an unending reservoir of grief and despair that seemed to reach across the distance between us, tugging at the very core of me.

My chest tightened, breath catching, and I felt a chill crawl up my spine, sending a tremor through me. I knew this girl, or at least, I knew what she felt. Her sorrow echoed mine, filling the space between us with a silent connection so raw, so haunting, that it left me feeling stripped bare. Her expression was one of unbearable sorrow, but there was something else in it too, something that felt like… recognition.

The connection was electric, unsettling. It reached into me, stirring something I couldn't name, some part of me I'd kept buried. And I knew, without a doubt, that she saw me as clearly as I saw her. A bond, fragile and intense, forged between us in that instant. She was showing me something, and I couldn't look away.

I felt like I was freed from some mystical chains binding me and not allowing me to move. I started following her. Running through the battlefield somehow unharmed by the events occurring around me.

As I approached her, the girl was hovering over the lifeless body of the man. I can't see his face, but his figure is muscular and broad, and his dark hair is somewhat familiar to me.

Seeing him I felt strange. My hands start to tremble. A mixture of sorrow, shock, and disbelief courses through my veins, causing my fingers to quiver uncontrollably. The ache in my chest deepens, as if a heavy weight has been placed upon my heart, making each breath feel labored and strained.

Tears well up in my eyes, slowly streaming down my cheeks, leaving a trail of dampness in their wake. My vision becomes blurred. Every sob that escapes my lips reverberates through my body, causing my shoulders to shake with each convulsive cry.

Then, without warning, the girl opened her mouth, and a scream tore out of her — a sound so piercing, so full of anguish that it shattered the stillness. The sound hit me like a physical blow, reverberating through my body, crashing against my chest until I felt as though my own heart were splitting open, echoing her pain. The scream was endless, raw and unfiltered, an unrelenting surge of grief and despair that seemed to pierce through the air, through my skin, reaching into the depths of me.

It was as if she were screaming for everything lost, every shattered dream, every drop of blood spilled on this twisted battlefield. I could feel it vibrating inside me, a dark, aching resonance that stole the breath from my lungs and pressed down on my heart like a vice.

And then, all at once, the vision shattered.