I stormed into the crumbling ruins where Elias kept his quarters, my boots crunching over shattered stone. The old tower loomed above me, hollow and broken, much like the man who had raised me.
"Elias!" I shouted, the name ripping from my throat like a blade.
No answer.
I pushed through the heavy oak door and found him standing by the hearth, the flames throwing shadows across his lined face. He didn't even flinch at my entrance.
"I was wondering when you’d come," Elias said, his voice low, worn with the weight of years.
"You lied to me," I hissed, my hands trembling at my sides. "You knew all along what I was. What I could become."
His shoulders sagged. "Nina..."
"Don’t," I snapped. "Don’t call me that like you have any right. Tell me the truth. All of it. Now."
For a moment, he j
