DARIAN
From behind me, a voice — cool, feminine and measured, but with a cutting edge, slipped through the stillness of my chambers like a blade sliding under skin.
“Can’t wait for what?”
I didn’t have to turn to know it was her. I knew that voice, and I hated it from the depths of my being.
That smooth but sharp voice, sweetened just enough to make the bitterness burn twice as much, had carved its way into my bones over the years.
She had a way of speaking that felt like she was already three steps ahead of you, even when she wasn’t.
And gods, I hated that she could just walk into my room whenever she pleased. No knock, no respect, as if my chambers were hers by right and she already wore the crown beside me.
I turned my head slowly, meeting her gaze without a single word. Our ey
