Chapter 12

But how could she trust that staying out of the fight was ever the right thing?

By the time the morning sun began to filter through the narrow windows, Xara knew sleep wasn’t coming. She got up, dressed quickly, and made her way down the cold hallway toward the main hall. The fire from the night before had burned down to embers, and the hall was empty, save for Rowan.

He sat by the fire, sharpening a blade, his expression as unreadable as ever. He glanced up briefly as she approached, his eyes dark and intense, but he said nothing.

Xara cleared her throat. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Rowan’s gaze flicked toward her, then back to his blade. “Neither could I.”

She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. Rowan had always been the hardest to read, his emotions buried beneath layers of silence and control. But after what had happened last night, she felt like she had to say something.

“About last night,” she began hesitantly. “I know Zayne’s angry, but—”