The music ended, but Daelan didn’t let go.Amara’s pulse was steady in her throat, though her expression betrayed nothing. Around them, applause scattered softly as the orchestra shifted to a livelier tune, couples breaking apart with laughter and champagne, unaware that something far quieter — and far more dangerous — was happening just off the center of the floor.She withdrew her hand from his, slow but deliberate. “Daelan,” she repeated, her tone calm but edged with steel. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”Daelan’s eyes flicked with the faintest glint of amusement. “Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not yet.”“Try again.”“Names,” he murmured, leaning just slightly closer, “are just masks, aren’t they? The real question is — why does it bother you?”She tilted her head, studying him. “Because people who hide behind masks usually have something to lose.”“Or something to protect.”He said it lightly, almost offhand, but the way his gaze lingered — steady, unflinching — felt in
Last Updated : 2025-10-30 Read more