stared at the scroll, her blood running cold. Roen's threat wasn't a bluff-

n his arms bulging as the paper turned to ash. Hi

e move?" R

gates. Double the watch. If Roen wants a wa

im. Not like this. He's calculating. Yo

her slowly. "Th

but the words tan

exactly what Ro

, she'd help

-

er room,

nly reason he hadn't launched a full-on assault was because he wanted to sca

. he hadn'

en a l

or-soft, but firm. She

a

wait for h

ew he'd

ssed with power. Losing me-meant l

oom in three strid

e I cho

meeting his ey

't go

let him t

was low,

was steel in his eyes-b

ispered. "Why

ser, closing the space between them until she

see you," h

cted-how it leapt despite everything. Despite the

omeone wor

ed. "Let me be th

-

ck out again-this t

ue camps. If her brother was alive, he migh

r the inked borders. Kael's kingdom was vast, but so was Roen's. If a

corner of the map. A rogue camp, labe

trac

n f

ps behi

came a voice. No

colder.

rned s

ga

ve

person sh

anged young

rly shattered the pack. Word w

leather-clad and sm

she s

?" he finished. "N

ctively moving toward the da

ax. I'm not here to

er eyes. "What

here's rot inside this kingdom too. Kael plays king,

ing you wan

ered, stepping closer, "w

-

s had spotted the first wave of Roen's

. Eva stood in the shadows of the war room, deb

-and something shift

ke you've se

have,"

d press, a mes

crossed t

eyes da

he vault. Lock it. Don't co

r head. "I'm

va

d again. Not by

lashed like f

id somethin

fingers against her cheek, and

-

p the dawn sky, Eva stood on

rise from the

had

she would choos

t burning every

-