“They were studying.”
The room goes still, not in fear, but more an understanding without answers.
“They did not act immediately,” Kael continues. “They observed. Tested. Adapted.” He pauses. Muscles twitch, scars pull. Pain playing over his body. “They chose their moment.”
My chest tightens because that means?—
“They’re still watching,” I say.
No one looks at me. Amara leans back slowly.
“Then we have a problem.”
Rosalind shakes her head once.
“No,” she says quietly. Her gaze moves to Kael. “We have a war coming.”
The words don’t echo, they settle, heavy and unavoidable. And suddenly this place doesn’t feel like it might hold. It feels like something about to be tested.
33
LEENA
Isit on the edge of a low platform that serves as a bed, my hands resting loosely in my lap, staring at nothing for longer than I should. The words are still sitting in my head.
Watching. Studying. War.
I should feel afraid, and maybe I do, but it’s not the thing pressing in on me right now. It’s him.
I feel him before I hear him. That shift in the air. His presence. Kael.
I don’t turn. He moves closer, slow and steady, the sound of his steps muted against the floor. He stops behind me, close, but not touching.
“You are thinking,” he says.
It’s not a question.
“No kidding,” I murmur.
A breath leaves him. Not quite a laugh. The silence stretches. Not uncomfortable. Just full.
I let it sit there a moment longer before I finally turn. He looks better. Not healed, but stronger than he was. His gaze meets mine, steady and unflinching. No walls. No distance. Just him.
“They’re not going to stop,” I say.
I don’t need to explain what I mean.
“I know.”
Simple and certain. Not a hint of hesitation. I swallow.
“Then this place…” I gesture vaguely around us. “All of this—it’s not as safe as they think.”
“No.”
Again, just truth. No comforting lies. It should make it worse, but it doesn’t, because he’s here. Because he’s not pretending it’s something it isn’t. Because he’s choosing to face it with me. I push to my feet slowly and close the distance.
“You could leave,” I say. The words come out quieter than I expected. “They’re after you.”
