His shoulders shifted, like he regretted saying it out loud. “My parents… had other plans,” he added, and there was a faint edge of bitterness that hadn’t been there before. “They made sure I learned how to be what they needed me to be.”“A leader,” I said.“A leader,” he echoed, quieter this time.
LioraI alway liked libraries. They were a place my heart always felt quiet, peaceful, and you always left knowing more then you did before.But today, in this library, I felt anything but calm.And it was ticking me off.The usual soft silence felt alive, the whisper of air that smelled of paper an
For a heartbeat we just… stood there. Too close. His breath mingled with mine, the faint murmur of voices from the main rooms a muffled hum somewhere far away.My pulse was everywhere—ears, fingertips, throat.Neither of us said a word.I dropped my gaze first, then met it with a fierce glare.Callu
LioraI’d expected a simple path back to the library, but Callum’s house was anything but simple. Its halls twisted and doubled back on themselves, more of a labyrinth than even my father’s castle.Every turn was polished marble, heavy carved paneling, bookcases that stretched from floor to ceiling.
Zane’s grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Enough to make you nervous.”My nails dug into my palms where I hid, unseen.“If you’re not going to tell me,” Callum said, his tone even lower, “then get lost. And stay away from her.”It wasn’t a yell, but the weight behind it made even me tense wher
LioraI didn’t stop walking until the hedges closed around me, the green walls swallowing everything behind me. The path wound and twisted like a maze, white gravel crunching under my shoes in a rhythm that was faster than I meant it to be. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling, part fury, part something