Mistake

The common area buzzed with the low hum of conversation and the clatter of plates, but all I could hear was the frantic drum of my own heartbeat. Kael’s words, his smug smirk, and the visceral, sickening flash of memory still reverberated in my mind. Pine and damp earth. Strong hands. Amber eyes. It was undeniable. I had had sex with Kael. And I had no memory of it.

My gaze snapped back to Levy, who was now walking with Kael towards the long communal tables laden with food. Levy’s back was to me, but I could feel the invisible threads of his attention, still pulling, still dissecting. He wasn’t surprised by my stunned silence. He had expected it. He had expected me to touch the lantern’s lid. He had expected me to reveal another crack in the facade.

A wave of nausea washed over me, a physical manifestation of the sheer terror coiling in my gut. This wasn’t playful seduction. This wasn’t genuine connection. Levy was observing me, like a scientist with a new specimen. And I was the spec