Selina's POV
His cold, smooth thumb lingered on my cheekbone for a fraction of a second longer than was strictly necessary. It was a touch so devastatingly gentle that it completely short-circuited my defences.
The Static inside my mind didn't snarl. She simply watched, mesmerised and profoundly confused. We had been conditioned to view Malakai as the ultimate evil – the Rogue King who wanted to shatter the world. But standing here in the quiet, oppressive beauty of the Umbra, the lines between monster and saviour were blurring into an unrecognisable grey.
I didn't pull away, but Malakai did.
With a painstaking, almost agonising restraint, he withdrew his hand. He took a deliberate step back, putting a safe, respectful distance between us. He wasn't going to push. He wasn't going to ca
