Blood and moonlight
Aya nodded slowly, voice like smoke curling around memory:
“You were sent to Lord Elias’s house — your mind rewritten.
I was buried under this mountain — watching from the dark.
And now that you’ve awakened, sister…”
She smiled again. This time, there was no warmth.
“So have I.”
⸻
Achi stepped forward, instinctively shielding Ava.
Aya’s gaze flicked toward him — unreadable.
“The mate, I presume.”
She raised a hand, and for a second, the air split with tension — not violence, but recognition.
“Interesting choice.”
Then she looked back to Ava, her voice suddenly softer.