The castle slept under a thin veil of mist, but Alina couldn’t. The events of the past days—the Veil’s hunger, the council’s threats, Kael’s pressing shadows—had left her restless, unable to find peace. She wandered the halls, tracing her fingers along the cold stone walls, trying to will her pulse to slow. A warm glow caught her eye in the distance, flickering through a doorway. Curiosity prickled at her nerves, a thrill laced with danger. She approached, and the air shifted, thick with heat and mischief.
Riven lounged against the arch of the corridor, flames dancing lazily around his hands. The light threw his sharp features into sharp relief, highlighting the lean curve of his jaw, the mischievous glint in his golden eyes, and the ripple of muscles along his arms and chest. Even in the
