Rowan called on a Tuesday morning, which was ordinary enough. He called every morning. It was the thing he had promised her when he took the twins to the western territory and it was the thing he had done without exception every day since, the video call at noon with Luca showing her whatever he had built or broken that morning and Lena holding up drawings for inspection.But this call came at seven, before the noon slot, and it was audio only."I need to come see you," he said. "Not the twins, they're fine. Something else. Can I come today?"She looked at her schedule. Congressional prep, two calls, a briefing with Nyx. "I can make three o'clock work.""Three is good." A pause. "Elara. It's something good. I want you to know that before you spend the day wondering."She hadn't realized until he said it that she had already started bracing. That had become her default orientation lately, the unconscious preparation for the next difficult thing. She noticed it and set it down deliberat
Last Updated : 2026-03-13 Read more