Lorraine's POV
Everything suddenly vanished. The burnt corpse. Kieran's scream. Everything.
Gone.
I jolted back into the present with a gasp, my lungs seizing as if I had dragged fire back with me. My heart slammed violently against my ribs. Sweat dripped down my temples, my whole body trembling.
"Lorraine?"
Kieran was suddenly right in front of me, his hands cupping mine as if afraid I would collapse. There was raw fear in his eyes, fear for me. "You were gone for a moment, you weren't blinking, you weren't breathing. What's wrong? Talk to me."
I forced breath into my lungs. Focus. Survive this moment.
"I'm.... fine," I lied, swallowing hard. "Just…. lightheaded. That's all."
Before I could insist further, Kieran scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing. My breath hitched, and I grabbed instinctively onto his shoulders.
"Kieran..!"
