I watched Jasper Drevyn stand at the edge of the clearing, surrounded by his warriors, and felt nothing.
No fear. No longing. No echo of the bond that had once tied us together.
Just cold, clear assessment of a threat that needed to be managed.
"Stay behind me," Ronan murmured. Not a command. A request. His body was coiled tension, every muscle ready to explode into violence at the first wrong move.
"No." I stepped forward, Lucian secure in the sling against my chest. His small body was warm against me, a reminder of everything I'd survived to protect. "He came for me. Let him see what he threw away."
Lyra moved to my left. Selvara to my right. The sisters flanked me like guards flanking royalty, and I felt their support like armor. Like something solid I could lean on if I needed to. The snow crunched beneath our feet, the only sound in the sudden silence that had fallen over the clearing.
