The car ride back to the mansion felt like a funeral procession.
Julian's hand stayed wrapped around mine in the darkness, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. Neither of us spoke. What was there to say? We'd been caught breaking Silas's rules, and now we were heading back to face consequences neither of us could predict.
My mind kept replaying Julian's words: Let me take the blame.
That was totally noble, stupid, and completely irrelevant, because Silas didn't strike me as the type of man who dealt in half-measures.
When we pulled up to the estate, every window was dark except one... Silas's office, glowing like a lighthouse built to lure ships onto rocks.
"Remember what I said," Julian whispered as the driver opened our door. "I'll handle this."
I wanted to argue, wanted to tell h
