“I appreciate the confidence, but how do you know?”
“Whatever it is, little lupine, we’ll face it together.”
His voice is steady, but there’s an edge of something beneath it.
“None of the abilities we’ve found seem dangerous, so I’m not worried about that.”
He reaches across the table and takes my hand, his fingers tightening around mine.
“But Aurora … the Disciples won’t wait for you to figure out your power. They won’tletyou. They’ll strike first. They’ll kill you before you even have the chance to fight back. You’re safe here. With me. For now.”
His thumb, along with a stray shadow, grazes my knuckles.
“But I can’t always be by your side, Aurora.” Ezra swallows. Hard. “Even if I want to.”
His next words are barely a whisper. “And that … fucking kills me.”
The way he says it, like a wound healing over too soon, sends a shiver down my spine.
I refocus, then flip another page, barely skimming the words because my brain is still stuck on the ridiculousness of this entire situation.
And queens?Right.
If the Daughters were supposed to be underborne royalty, why did they hide? Why didn’t anyone try to protect them?
Why, after generations, am I the only one standing in an old library with an ancient shadow monster, actually considering it?
I exhale sharply, tossing the book onto the table.
“And another thing. If the Daughters were queens, why didn’t they claim it? Why didn’t they—”
Ezra moves, a slight reach across the table.
And then, his fingers graze the bruises along my throat.
I freeze, a sharp breath catching in my chest.
Ezra doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t look at me. Not right away.
His touch lingers for a brief moment before pulling away, and then, finally, he speaks.
“If I had to guess?” His voice is quiet, almost careful. “That’s why.”
Oh.
Oh.
The weight of it makes my stomach lurch.
Ezra leans back, stretching out in his chair, and when he finally meets my eyes, there’s something deep and dark flickering behind them.
Something old.
“It’s possible they didn’t step back because they wanted to,” he murmurs. “They stepped back because they had to. Because the world made sure they would.”
His lips curve. It’s not quite a smile, but something wry, something edged with quiet fury.
“And because, to be perfectly honest?” He tilts his head. “They didn’t have me.”
