Vael's POV
The world had narrowed to a single, suffocating point of pure terror.
I paced the living room of our apartment like a caged predator, each step heavy and restless against the polished floor. My comm device was pressed so tightly to my ear that it hurt, but I barely noticed. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. My heart hammered against my ribs so violently I thought it might shatter them. Every second that dragged by without news of Lirien felt like a rusty knife being twisted slowly deeper into my soul.
"Anything?" I demanded, my voice raw and hoarse from shouting. "Any signal? Any trace at all? Fucking give me something, Davis!"
