LOGINANDREW'S POV, “That seems premature. We're at a delicate point in the discussion—” “Which is exactly why we need a few minutes,” I said, holding his gaze. He looked away first, and I continued. “To discuss your proposals in private and speak our mind without you listening to us. Unless there's a r
ANDREW'S POV, I noticed the guard first. Not his presence, his absence. The post in the east corridor had been manned every time I had checked it since we arrived. It was a consistent, unremarkable detail that I had catalogued the way I catalogued everything in a room like this one—automatically,
ELENA'S POV, The report came in fragments, the way bad news always did. It wasn't clean, nor with the kind of clarity that made decisions easy. Just pieces, arriving one after another through channels that were supposed to be secure and reliable, and each piece landed worse than the one before it.
ELENA'S POV, “I don't need a recess,” I said and my voice came out flat. It wasn't cold, nor sharp, just flat, emptied of the performance of composure I had been maintaining since we walked through the door. Al'thor blinked once, and for the first time since this meeting began, I watched fear fli
ELENA'S POV, I don't know how long I stood there before Andrew noticed. He didn't say anything at first. He just shifted around, closing the distance between us by half a step, the way he always did when he sensed something was wrong but didn't yet know what shape it had taken. It was a small thin
ELENA'S POV, “During what?” I asked, not caring that I cut him off from finishing, or that my voice was loud. I had spent years making sure others were happy with what I was doing, and I wasn't the reason for any of their troubles. Now I wanted to be better than that, for myself, instead of being
“Not here,” he murmured, gripping my arm lightly. “Come with me.”He didn't wait for my permission. He pulled me through the entrance hall and down a side hallway that led away from the main palace. Soon, we were in a section of the building that only a few people used. The air grew cooler, and the
RYAN’S POV,The antechamber outside the council hall was unusually empty, considering it was built to host people before the meeting began. Long glass windows lined the eastern wall, letting in pale morning light that reflected off polished stone and the emblem of our nation. The table had already b
He noticed the tensed look in my eyes immediately.“Elena?” he asked softly, not to draw attention to us. His hand brushed mine as I came to stand beside him. “What's wrong? You don't look good.”I leaned closer, lowering my voice as I answered him. “That man,” I murmured, nodding subtly toward the
I turned back to face him fully, meeting his eyes without flinching and said quietly. “Before I go, there's something I need you to hear.”His brows lifted in amusement. “By all means, go ahead. I always love to hear your voice, even when I know you won't believe it.”“I am ashamed of you,” I said,







