They talked for a long while before Blake left. The door clicked shut, and Theodore's calm mask shattered. With a crash, he hurled his teacup to the floor.
The Goldscale Guards' armor gleamed in the dawn, their ironclad cavalry poised for departure. Despite the winter chill, the court's wolves donned formal robes to see them off, while townsfolk lined up with hot wine and rations, their procession snaking to the pack walls. Colton, clad in battle armor, radiated a lethal edge, but when his eyes found Daphne, that sharpness melted into springtime warmth.
Daphne's eyes stung as she handed him a brocade box containing the firelance Tessa had commissioned. "My friend had this made. It might come in handy." Her voice softened. "I'll wait for you."
Waiting wasn't her thing. She'd waited for h
