Kane broke the quiet first. "Calder won't be the last one to push back."
"I know," I said. "But every time they push and the law holds, the rest of them see it. So that wouldn't be a problem."
Darius reached over with a grin and brushed a strand of hair from my face. "You're giving them something they've never had. It scares them. But I like it."
Rylan's hand slid higher on my thigh. "Let them be scared. They'll get used to it."
The fire popped. Outside, the wind moved across the ridges, carrying the faint scent of pine and melting snow. The keep slept around us, full and quiet for the first time in years. I closed my eyes and let the bond wrap tighter.
Then the knock came.
Garrick's voice through the door, low and urgent. "My queen. Scouts just rode in from the eastern ridge. Fresh tracks. Three sets again. They left another black feather on the marker stone. This one had blood on it."
