HAILEY
The chamber was shadowed, long shuddering arms spread out before it by the light of the hearthfire. I rested my elbows at the head of the oak table, trying to focus on the recent news of our border scouts, but my thoughts continually circled back over the past couple of days since Marissa had come and totally flipped everything about—her abilities, her disobedience, and her unmistakable connection to Alexia. I knew the balance would shatter any second, and therefore I had been walking on this thin edge. Ryan had stepped in in the blink of an eye as he pushed open the creaky door. Ryan walked in, as tight as he could stand, his face unrecognizable. To another man, Ryan might have been able to pass himself off as a king—untitled and inflexible—but to me, there was simmering beneath h
