The silence between us stretched long enough that the steady rush of the river began to sound louder than it should have.
Water tumbled over smooth stones in a constant, restless rhythm, filling the space between us with a sound that pressed in rather than soothed. The breeze shifted through the tall trees along the riverbank, stirring the leaves overhead so sunlight flickered across the ground in shifting patterns of gold and shadow.
It should have felt peaceful.
Instead, the air felt heavy with tension.
Kael hadn’t moved.
He stood a few feet away, tall and completely still, his broad shoulders relaxed but somehow still radiating authority. His green eyes remained fixed on me with the same calm, calculating intensity that had irritated me since the moment we met.
It wasn’t just a lo
