Zaeryn met her gaze."And?" he asked. "What's the verdict?"
Viora didn't rush to answer. She studied him with a clinical intensity that made him feel like a slide under a microscope. He could practically feel the Vitae humming beneath her skin, a low-frequency vibration that set his own unnatural reserves on edge.
After two agonizing seconds, she spoke. "I have only just met you. And a single conversation is hardly enough to judge a lifetime's worth of secrets."
"Fair enough." Zaeryn offered a tired smile. "For that, you'd actually have to know me. So let's start there. Have a seat, sis."
He gestured to the armchair, the fabric feeling coarse under his palm as he sat. He tried to project a casualness he didn't feel, leaning back. His slight nervousness had nothing to do with her Tier 2 status and everything to do with the label. Sister.
