RILEY'S POV
Dawn came like a blade.
Gray light creeping under the tent flap. Cold. Unforgiving. The kind of light that showed every flaw, every crack, every thing you wanted to keep hidden.
I hadn't slept.
Hadn't eaten.
Hadn't moved from the edge of the cot since I stumbled back from the cells.
His face was still there. Behind my eyes every time I blinked. That one eye—storm-gray, gold flecks—looking at me like I was already a ghost.
You want to know what hurts?
I pressed my palms to my eyes.
Stop. Stop it.
Footsteps outside.
I dropped my hands. Sat up straight. Composed my face into stone.
Kain pushed through the flap.
He was dressed for the day—leather and fur, silver at his throat, hair pulled back. He looked like a king. Like someone who had never doubted a single decision in his life.
"Riley." He smiled. That warm, charming smile that never reached his eyes. "You're up early."
"I couldn't sleep."
"Anticipation?" He stepped closer. "Or guilt?"
