The morning air in the Shadow Court was cold, heavy with the scent of incense and stone. Alina’s wrist burned as she traced the faint pulse of the mark beneath her skin, still glowing from the night’s encounter with the Veil. The whispers lingered at the edge of her thoughts, sharp and insistent, urging her to act before she was ready.
Kael waited at the edge of the training hall, shadows pooling at his feet, waiting like loyal hounds. The flicker of torchlight caught his dark hair and the sharp line of his jaw, and Alina felt a familiar heat rise through her chest. He was… undeniably magnetic, and every time he looked at her like this, a mix of command and something more intimate, she struggled to focus on anything else.
“You’re late,” Kael said, voice low, edged with irritation. But it
