The rage left a void.
In the wake of Vaeren's visit, after the echoes of his silken threats and the phantom feeling of his fingers on her throat had faded, Arin was left with a chilling, terrifying clarity. The hatred she felt for him was a clean, sharp thing, a whetstone against which she could sharpen her own resolve. But it was the other revelation that truly shook her.
The charm. The leash. The unseen hand that had guided her own to betray the man she… loved.
The thought, the word, was a shock. She had never allowed herself to name it. Love was a vulnerability, a weakness she couldn't afford. But in the cold, stark silence of her prison, the truth was undeniable. She loved Caldan Kaerythene. And a part of her, a part that had been controlled by his enemies, had driven a knife into his chest.
