The echo of Jeric's decree seemed to vibrate in the cold air of the room long after the words left his lips. He looked like a man who had just signed a death warrant. He stood by the window, his back to the room, his gloved hand still clenched around the crumpled note.
Cassia watched him, her heart still racing from the realization that her attempt to expose the traitor had turned her into a target. "I found Edwin Hale," she said, her voice cutting through the suffocating quiet. "I proved the leak was real, Jeric. The enemy had to move because of me. We have the upper hand now."
Jeric turned slowly. The fury was still there, but it had shifted. It was no longer a loud, crashing storm. It was the deep, silent pressure of the ocean. "You gave them your location…" he said quietly. "You gave them a window and a reason. They aren't coming to kill you, Cassia. If they were, they would have sent an assassin to your bed. They are coming to try and take you."
