Raine POV
He didn’t stop until we were deep in one of the quiet hallways where the torches burned low and the whole world seemed to listen. The silence pressed in around us. My pulse hadn’t calmed since he’d caught me outside Veyra’s office.
“Do you know how long I spent looking for you today?” Lucian’s voice cracked through the air, rough and low. “You disappear whenever you please, and you think it’s amusing?”
His anger wasn’t loud, it was controlled—dangerous. He moved closer until his breath touched my skin.
“I wasn’t hiding—” I started, but the words died as he reached out, fingers brushing the side of my throat. The touch wasn’t rough, just enough to send a shiver racing down my spine.
“Always talking back,” he murmured, almost to himself. “You really don’t learn, do you?”
My c
