Chapter 13: A Game of Shadows

Seraphina should have turned back.

She should have walked away from the darkness that surrounded Raziel, from the past clawing its way back into her mind.

But she didn't.

Not when his silver eyes held hers, not when something inside her ached at the sight of him.

Raziel studied her, his expression unreadable. "You still don't trust me."

Seraphina forced herself to stand tall. "Should I?"

A ghost of a smirk touched his lips. "No."

Something about his honesty sent a shiver down her spine. He wasn't trying to win her over with sweet words or false promises. He wasn't trying to manipulate her.

Not like—

Lysander.

The thought struck her like a blade.

She turned away, exhaling sharply. "Then why am I here?"

Raziel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into the folds of his cloak and withdrew something small, something that gleamed in the moonlight.

A ring.

Her breath caught. It was simple, silver, with an intricate design etched along its band.

Familiar.

Too familiar.

Raziel's voice was quiet. "You gave me this."

Seraphina swallowed. "I—"

Memories flickered. A battlefield. A whispered vow. Fingers lacing together.

The ring.

Her ring.

She staggered back, shaking her head. "No. This—this isn't mine."

Raziel stepped forward, his voice steady. "It was."

The air between them crackled with tension.

She could walk away. She should walk away.

But instead—Seraphina clenches her fists and demands answers. If this ring was hers, if she truly had a past with him, then he would tell her everything—no more games.