(Adelaide)
“You may call me Cael,” he said. “I serve as one of the palace guard.”
“Cael,” she repeated, testing it. It fit him. Short. Sharp. Something that could cut if you weren’t careful. “And you… what? Guard the door? Patrol the corridors and listen to prisoners scream?”
His lips twitched, but it didn’t quite become a smile.
“I guard him,” Cael said. “Which includes his walls. His wards. His secrets.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Am I one of those secrets?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
The answer hit like a slap and a strange comfort all at once. Being hidden meant being in danger. It also meant she mattered enough to hide. Both truths scraped at her ribs.
“So there are other demons who don’t know I’m here?” she asked.
“Most don’t,” Cael replied. “The king has cleared the pa
