"You went alone."
Lucien's voice was tight the moment I walked back through the door, his eyes scanning me head to toe like he was checking for injuries I hadn't mentioned yet.
"I'm fine," I said. "She didn't threaten me. Not directly."
"Then what did she do," Marcus asked, already reaching for the folder still clutched in my hands.
I set it down on the table between us and told them everything, Isolde's offer, the council corruption stretching back generations, the three day deadline hanging over all of it.
Lucien's jaw tightened with every detail. "She's using Caleb as leverage."
"She's using all of us as leverage," I said. "That's exactly what worries me. If we refuse the alliance, Caleb stays free and dangerous. If we accept it, we're trusting a woman whose entire family has spen
