Riven’s footsteps announced him long before he appeared in the doorway, unhurried and deliberate, as though he already knew the weight of his presence. The room shifted the moment he entered—lighter, sharper, every shadow leaning toward him.
Kael’s arm tensed around Alina, but he said nothing, his jaw tight as steel. He didn’t move either, though the air between the brothers crackled like the moments before a storm.
Riven’s gaze lingered first on Kael, a faint smirk curling his lips, before sliding to her. And when his eyes found hers, it was like the floor vanished beneath her.
“You look better,” he drawled, stepping into the room without asking permission. His coat flared slightly, dark and elegant despite the ash clinging to it. “Almost alive again. I was beginning to worry Kael woul
