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
“We'll be late,” I said lightly and heard him exhale a soft laugh before following me down.The drive was long—almost half an hour—and for most of it, we talked about the stupidest of things and laughed. The night outside was calm, and the scattered city lights looked like fallen stars. Every few mi
ELENA'S POV, “Elena?” Corbin's voice broke my trance. The snowy scene disappeared, and I was back on the palace steps. “Are you okay? You looked like you were going to pass out.” “Yeah, I’m fine. It was nothing to worry about,” I lied, though my pulse raced and my breathing became uneven. Andre
Even now, days later, those words echoed inside me. He hadn’t pressured me since then about whether I was interested or not. He hadn’t asked for an answer, he was giving me all the time I needed. Still, the thought returned every time I looked at him. Every time I felt his gaze linger just long enou
ELENA'S POV,“Yes. Exactly like Julian.”One name turned an amazing moment into an awkward silence. I wanted to stop myself from taking his name, but it didn't feel right, especially when I knew what he thought about women. Many can't digest when they see a woman succeed in life, but most of them ke







