The Hollow One didn't move.
It just watched.
Waited.
Like it was measuring her.
Like it was deciding whether she was strong enough to survive a second time.
Bella's pulse roared.
"What do you want?"
The Hollow One tilted its head, its body unraveling and twisting like an illusion.
"You, of course."
Dante's snarl tore through the air.
"Over my dead body."
The Hollow One laughed.
A hollow, sharp, jagged sound that made the air feel colder.
"That can be arranged."
Then—
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Straight for Dante.
Bella lunged before she could think, before she could breathe, before she could stop herself.
She slammed into him, knocking them both out of the way, just as the Hollow One's claws sliced through the air where Dante had been standing.
The ground shattered beneath the impact.
Dirt flew.
Wind howled.
And Bella felt it.
The pull.
The darkness.
It was trying to get inside her again.
Trying to claim her.
Trying to finish what it started.
Bella gritted her teeth, her fingers curling into the earth.
"No."
She wouldn't let it take her again.
She wouldn't let it win.
Dante grabbed her arm, yanking her up, his blue eyes flashing with fury.
"What the fuck is that thing?"
Bella exhaled sharply.
"Something that should have stayed dead."