Kael
"No."
The word came out flat, final, allowing no argument.
Aubrey blinked, clearly surprised by my response. "I just meant—"
"Dionne stays here." I said simply
"Of course." Aubrey raised her hands. "I wasn't trying to overstep. I just thought… well, rogues are usually such trouble. Always causing problems. And with a child, no less. Surely that's an additional liability."
Each word made my jaw tighter. Made the beast growl louder.
"And that scar on her neck," Aubrey continued, apparently not noticing my growing tension. "So unsightly. I don't know how you stand looking at it. Rogues really should be marked somewhere less visible, don't you think?"
That was enough.
"Aubrey." My voice came out cold enough to freeze blood.
She fell silent immediately, her eyes going wide.
I forced myself to breathe. To push down the rage threatening to surface. To remind myself that this was Aubrey, Orianna's sister, someone I owed loyalty to.
