CHAPTER 6: FIRE AT THE GATES
The roar of heavy engines shook the floorboards right under my feet.
I pressed my ear to the thick oak of Kael’s locked door, hands clenched tight at my sides, my heart hammering so loud in my ears I almost missed the sharp shouting rising from the courtyard below.
“Hold your fire!” Kael’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade — deep, commanding, louder than every revving engine and angry shout combined. “Not one bullet drops unless I give the word. Is that clear?”
I backed away from the door, pacing the length of the small room again and again. Every second stretched out like an hour. I thought of Julian’s cold, unblinking stare, of Cole’s sneer when he’d looked at me like I was already a prize, of the locked rooms and silent dinners I’d endured for thr
