"That was never the deal, James."
Serafina's voice snapped like a whip through the cold night air, echoing across the ancient stone of the Blackfang Fortress balcony. Her heels clicked with fury as she closed the space between them, golden hair catching the firelight, eyes blazing like twin suns about to explode.
James didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Just stared out over the dark forest stretching into the distance, where the Eastern Bloodline had just bent the knee.
She shoved him hard in the chest.
"Don't you dare ignore me!"
He turned then, slowly, with a quiet menace that made the night itself seem to shiver. "Careful, Serafina. The last woman who laid hands on me isn't breathing anymore."
"Oh, spare me your threats," she snapped, circling him like a lioness sizing up
