The aftermath of the assassination attempt left the instructors’ wing in chaos. Broken wood, shattered runes, and blood stained the stone floors. Instructors and guards moved quickly to secure the area while whispering about the silent healer who had fought back with glowing silver hands.
Elara Voss sat on the edge of the bed in a new set of quarters two doors down, wrapped in one of Kai’s spare cloaks that smelled of rain-soaked cedar and wild pine. Her body ached from the strain of the twisted healing and the curse’s violent reaction, but the mate bond kept her steady, pulsing warmly in her chest like a second heartbeat.
Kai stood near the doorway, arms crossed, watching every person who entered the room with lethal suspicion. He had dressed quickly in black training pants and a loose
