SIERRA'S POV
The sun hung low, stretching shadows long across the garden, golden light filtering through the leaves, making everything look softer than it was, more forgiving. The soil was warm beneath my bare feet, and the water from the tin watering can hissed softly as it met the roots of the jasmine. It should've been a peaceful moment. It was, for a second.
Then—
It hit me like a wave crashing over my mind, and I staggered, the can slipping from my hands and thudding into the dirt. My breath caught in my chest, and Vampire Blood Mira powers surged like a flood I couldn't hold back, and the world around me blurred at the edges, softening into a hazy smear of golden and gray. My knees gave out, and I dropped to them, hands pressing into the earth, grounding me, but it wasn't enough.
