Eliana hadn’t seen or heard much in her short life; her parents had always kept her close, sheltered from the world, so much so that she grew up disconnected, with no real friends, no stories of danger, just the quiet security of home.
But in this moment, sitting here beside him, she felt something she’d never felt before, and it wasn’t fear, it wasn’t judgment, it was a connection, a human connection, and it was coming from the most unlikely of sources.
Her gaze locked with his, but she didn’t speak. She just searched his eyes, trying to imagine a smaller, younger version of him. A boy with the same haunted look, carrying a weight no child should ever know. She thought of the way he had broken into her house only a few hours ago, striking down her parents in front of her, and she had th
