LUCIAN
The scent of blood lingers in my nose long after I’ve left the council chamber. It’s not just Vince’s blood, though there was enough of that to choke the air, it’s the smell of confusion and panic. Fear has its own scent, and once it’s in your lungs, it doesn’t leave.
I used to think the enemy was Vince or at least, using Vince. But now that Vince is also a victim, who's the enemy?
I should’ve gone straight back to Leah. Should’ve told her something, anything, to stop the questions I saw in her eyes earlier. But I didn’t, I couldn’t. Not yet.
Instead, I went to the west wing where Vince was found. The guards are still here, sweeping the corridors, checking shadows, sniffing at the air like they expect the thing that attacked him to still be nearby. Idiots.
The floor is clean
