Jacob~
After I kissed her—slow and tender, like the hush before dawn—Easter suddenly stilled. Her trembling stopped. Her breathing deepened. And just like that… she fell into a deep, unnatural sleep.
I cradled her carefully, brushing a curl from her cheek, watching her chest rise and fall. I felt the pull of magic in the air—the kind of sleep only loss could leave behind.
I closed my eyes and whispered into the space between worlds. "Mariel," I choked on my emotions. "It's time."
A soft voice answered, like wind dancing through harp strings. "Meet me at the place you bought for her. I'll be waiting, Mist."
I stood, silently scooping Easter into my arms, her weight light as a sigh against my chest. I moved quickly and quietly down the hallway to Rose's room.
The soft hum of a lullaby Easter had sung the night before still lingered in the air, like perfume in an empty ballroom.
