He was supposed to guard his magic, not risk everything for the girl unraveling in the dark.

Bryce
We were never meant to survive. Claudette drained me, dragged us into the shadow realm, and left us to die. But Winnie’s magic exploded, tore everything apart, and saved us all. Now we’re stuck in a collapsing nightmare full of lost souls and shadow demons. I’m exhausted, haunted, and the magic in this place whispers things I don’t want to hear. It wants me to feed, to give in, to lose myself. But I can’t. I won’t. Not while Winnie’s still breathing. I’ll destroy this realm if that’s what it takes to bring her home.

Winnie
I thought the danger was outside the portal, but the shadow realm is worse. It devours emotions, floods me with pain, and claws at every piece of me. I should be broken. I should be dead. But Bryce won’t let me fall. Even as his darkness threatens to consume him, he holds onto me. Our bond is the only thing keeping either of us together. I don’t know what’s waiting when we escape, if we ever do, but I know this—I’m not leaving him behind.

Xander
Everything changed when we bonded. My fire magic burned black, my soul tethered to theirs, and there’s no going back. I feel every pulse of Bryce’s rage, every tremor of Winnie’s fear. I would die for them, but more than that, I will fight for them. This realm wants to eat us alive, but it doesn’t know who it’s dealing with. I’ll scorch the shadows to ash before I let either of them be taken.