The first thing I notice about her is that she doesn’t look like she belongs in this place,and yet she fits too well.
The air in Valen’s world had changed since my first command. It was thicker now, heavier, as though every shadow carried an unspoken rule, every silence an unasked question.
They didn’t look at me the way they had before like I was an accessory to Valen’s rebellion, or a fragile thing he’d shield until I inevitably broke. No.
After last night, after the briefcase, I felt the shift. Their eyes tracked me differently. Evaluating, Waiting.
Waiting to see if I would drown.
And that was when she came.
It was late afternoon. The men lounged around Valen’s private suite like furniture carved out of menace,cigars glowing, glasses clinking softly, conversation a low hum of st
