The great hall of Eclipse Moon’s citadel echoed with the clatter of cleared plates as breakfast wrapped up. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, casting long shadows across the stone floor, a stark contrast to the blood-red eclipse that had stained the nights before. The group dispersed slowly—Torren and Marcus heading to the war room for strategy talks, Lilith and Mia had slipped away to secure the Veilblade with the white witches, her ruby eyes flashing a promise of later. Jackson caught Lucas’s arm before he could vanish into the corridors.
“Hey, Lucas—where’s Selene? She didn’t join us for breakfast. She’s part of the family now, right?”
Lucas paused, rubbing the back of his neck, a telltale sign of inner conflict. His face, usually open and steady, was shadowed. “She’s with E
