I panicked and yanked my hand back with all my might.
Vetle’s face darkened instantly. He stepped forward, blocking me from Cole.
“Cole, what are you doing grabbing my fiancée?”
Cole’s low laugh carried a razor’s edge of mockery. “Look at her face... Nina, you really don’t know anything, do you? Don’t let him fool you.”
Fool me?
I froze. My heart sank sharply, an uneasy dread spreading through my chest.
The gentle mask on Vetle’s face cracked completely; the smile vanished from his lips, his gaze turning dark and dangerous. “Cole, you’re just a servant of our Holy Church. Remember your place.”
Then he turned toward me, eyes steady, voice firm and commanding. “Nina, go first.”
In that moment, my heart tightened for no reason.
Uneasy as I was, I could only nod.
Behind me came Cole’
