Kaelira’s POV
“I was supposed to kill you.”
The words didn’t hit me like a threat. They settled differently.
Heavy and real.
And far too calm for what they meant. I didn’t step back.Didn’t react the way I should have. Because something in me had been shifting since the visions refused to see it as simple as that. My gaze held his.
“You didn’t.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“No.”
The answer came without hesitation.
Not defensive.
Not apologetic.
Just… true.
Silence stretched between us.
But it wasn’t the same silence as before.
Not sharp.
Not hostile.
Something else sat underneath it now.
Awareness.
Understanding.
Danger.
My breath steadied as I studied him.
I really studied him.
Not the commander.
Not the enemy.
The man who had carried that mission into my territory
