The snow in Slovakia came down like whispers of ash, covering the manor's grounds in silence. Raven sat alone in the study they'd commandeered after the raid, her fingers clenched around the edge of the oak desk. Across from her, Jaxon stood at the window, arms folded, his reflection rippling in the frost-laced glass.
"She wasn't there," Raven said. The words sat between them like a corpse.
Jaxon didn’t move. “No, but the message was.”
"So we’re just supposed to believe he has her? That this child even exists? That she’s yours?"
He turned then, slowly. His face unreadable. “I told you. I don’t know. I never saw her. Elise didn’t tell me anything and I never had reason to doubt it, until now.”
Raven stood. “That’s not a denial.”
“I never claimed certainty. That’s different.”
The cold
