“You know?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
“How?”
She didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
The silence stretched just long enough to unsettle him.
Good.
Lyra turned fully then, meeting his gaze head-on. “You’re not the only one capable of finding things out, Adrian.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Doubt.
Brief. Sharp.
Gone almost as quickly as it came.
“Then you know what happens next,” he said quietly. “Once the oath is complete, you’re not leaving. Ever.”
“I know that too.”
“And you’re still here.”
Her lips curved faintly.
“Where else would I be?”
The answer was wrong. Not logically. Instinctively.
Adrian felt it.
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re playing something.”
Lyra tilted her head. “So are you.”
That stopped him again.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Adrian stepped closer, lowering his voice until it was barely more than a breath. “If you want out, you don’t have time to hesitate.”
Lyra’s expression didn’t change.
“I’m not hesitating.”
“Then what are you doing?”
She held his gaze and smiled.
“Learning.”
* * *
