LYRA
She sealed it to protect you from yourself.
The words landed quietly and harder. I stared at him, my mind trying to catch up with what my ears had just heard. The room felt different suddenly.
My lips parted. "What do you mean?"
My voice came out smaller than I intended. Like the question had bypassed every wall I had carefully built and slipped out before I could shape it into something steadier.
Lucian looked at me.
For one brief moment, something moved behind his silver eyes. Not warmth. Not pity. Something more complicated than either of those things. Like he was measuring exactly how much he had already said against exactly how much he was willing to say.
His expression closed. "It's almost dawn," he said flatly. "I need to rest."
I blinked. "That's not an answer."
He was already turning.
