CIAN
The trees blurred past the windows. Ronan's hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles had gone white. I couldn't stop staring at the road ahead, willing it to end, willing us to get there—wherever there even was—faster.
My chest still felt hollow. Empty. Like someone had reached inside and carved out something vital. I kept reaching for the bond anyway, over and over, hoping each time would be different. That maybe I'd been wrong. That maybe the connection was just weakened somehow.
But I got nothing. Every single time, there was nothing.
The speedometer climbed higher. The engine roared. None of it was fast enough.
Then I saw it.
A column of smoke rising into the night sky, illuminated by flames at its base. It cut through the darkness like a beacon.
"What the fuck is that?" The words came out strangled.
Ronan leaned forward, squinting through the windshield. "I think there's a fire."
My stomach dropped. No. No, no, no.
