A Flame in the Shadow
She looks stiff at first, posture all iron and vigilance, until he says something quietly ridiculous, and she snorts before she can stop herself.
I stare. Orion notices, of course he does. “Careful,” he murmurs beside me. “If you look any harder, Corin might actually smile on purpose. That could shatter the realm.” I laugh before I can stop myself. It feels strange; like flexing a muscle I forgot I had.
Corin rolls her eyes. “I smile… occasionally.”
“Lies,” Bram says. “I’ve been trying to prove her smile exists for hours.”
She elbows him, but she doesn’t move away. Her hand stays curled in his sleeve like an anchor. Seren sits close by, luminous even in shadow, watching them with that soft,
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