He stood stunned into silence, his usually smiling eyes now wide open, pupils constricted to pinpricks. I could even see my own reflection in them—a girl with a pallid face and blood still smeared at the corner of her lips.
Having spent so much time with Dene, I'd never seen him like this. His breathing grew rapid, his chest heaving violently. His slender fingers clenched the sofa armrest unconsciously, knuckles whitening under the strain. Those luminous eyes fixed on me with terrifying intensity—as if staring at both a monster and a pitiful wretch.
The air grew so thick with tension it seemed to solidify. His gaze made my skin crawl, cold sweat beading down my spine. When my trembling fingertips barely grazed his arm, his muscles tensed instantly. "Dene..." My voice softened of its own accord, wary of disturbing something unseen. "Is there something about this incantation? Please say something. Is it... catastrophic?"
