Page 56

His wrist is wrapped in fresh bandaging, and his face tightens the instant he sees me kneeling near the broken street.

“Lady Isolde,” he says quickly. “Are you harmed?”

Concern sounds unnatural in his mouth.

“Minor injury,” I answer, letting my voice shake just enough to appear shocked rather than controlled. “A lesser infernal attacked near the registry route.”

Talen’s eyes move across the lane, searching.

Searching for Corin.

“Where did it go?” he asks.

I lower my gaze to the ash. “One consumed the other.”

That is true enough to survive inspection.

Several guards exchange uneasy looks.

Infernal creatures devouring one another is not uncommon. Surviving afterward without destabilizing the surrounding district is another matter entirely.

Talen steps closer. “You saw the hybrid.”

There is too much hunger in the question.

I force my breathing uneven, let rain cling to my lashes, and allow my fingers to tremble faintly around the cut in my hand. “I saw gold eyes.”

“That was him?”

“I assume so.”

“What did he do?”

The bond warms faintly beneath my ribs as though answering his name even unspoken.

I keep my expression carefully fragile. “He stopped the attack.”

Talen’s mouth twitches because the answer complicates the story he wants to tell.

“The creature targeted civilians,” I continue before he can shape the narrative first. “The hybrid intervened. Then the infernal entities turned on one another.”

“That damage looks excessive for intervention.”

“Yes,” I say quietly, letting my eyes drift toward the cracked stones. “It did.”

The guards shift uneasily again.

One of them kneels near the ash and mutters a ward phrase beneath his breath. The residue flares sickly green, then gutters into black.

“Recently consumed essence,” he says.

Talen looks at me sharply. “Did he attack you?”

“No.”

The answer leaves my mouth too fast.

Talen notices.