(Janelle POV)
I stared at the ornate key in Lord Cassius's hand, my mind struggling to process his words through the fog of exhaustion and despair. The metal gleamed like a promise in the dim torchlight, beautiful and terrifying all at once.
"I don't understand," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What kind of power? What do you want from me?"
Cassius's silver eyes seemed to glow in the darkness as he settled more comfortably against the stone wall beside me. Despite his elegant appearance, he moved with the fluid grace of a predator, something I was only now beginning to notice.
"Let me be perfectly honest with you, Janelle," he said, his voice soft but carrying an edge that made my skin prickle. "I am not simply a lord from the Northern Courts seeking diplomatic relations."
My heart began to race. "Then what are you?"
