The hall of the palace was hushed, though the air hummed with tension. Lark stood with his arms folded against his chest, his eyes fixed on the man standing before him.
Kael had appeared as if out of thin air, his greatcoat flowing behind him like dark flesh come to life. The warlock's eyes blazed with an unnatural gold light, his stare blazing in the moon.
"You don't deserve her," Lark snarled, his wolf straining near the surface. "She's not yours."
Kael didn't react. He inched forward, a faint smile dancing in his eyes. "I have a right you can barely imagine."
Lark advanced. He didn't care that Kael was strong. He didn't care that magic churned inside the man like a storm held back by thin control. He only knew that Kael had come to take Cassie.
But then Kael spoke it.
"I know abo
