Malrik POV
The road back East felt endless, each mile dragging like lead. I should have felt relief at the thought of returning home, at the chance to finally put my lands in order but instead, my mind churned with unrest. The truth was, I couldn’t afford relief.
The families were gathering behind closed doors, speaking in hushed tones, conspiring in shadows. I needed answers before the whispers became something far more dangerous.
Was it the Mancini heir behind this? Or Tavrix?
Logic pointed to Mancini. Tavrix had never given me reason for suspicion. If he were capable of such treachery, the signs would have surfaced long ago. And if Ysolde’s account was true if compulsion had existed in our bloodlines for generations there would be legends of slaughter stretching back centuries. Yet,
