Serena
The garden was quiet.
Too quiet.
The courtyard had become my morning routine my sanctuary from the chaos of the estate. I’d come early, before anyone began whispering and before the council corridors filled with eyes I didn’t trust.
I liked it best when it was just the wind and the birds. Just silence and flowers and the knowledge that for a brief sliver of time I wasn’t being watched.
But today, I wasn’t alone.
I knew she was there before I turned around.
The scent gave her away.
Lavender and venom.
Mirah.
She stood at the far edge of the garden, just past the white roses. A statue of elegance and rage in one of her Luna gowns high-necked, emerald green, with gold embroidery on the cuffs. Her dark hair swept back like a crown of war.
Her eyes locked on me.
Sharp. Letha
