A Dangerous Edge

Seraphine could still feel the ghost of Kaelith's touch long after he pulled away.

He had left her with a question—one she had no answer for.

Why hadn't she run?

She had always been good at slipping through the cracks, at staying ahead of danger. Yet here she was, playing this treacherous game with a man who saw too much.

A man who had the power to unravel her.

The door clicked shut behind him, the air still thick with unspoken tension.

Seraphine clenched her fists.

Kaelith was close to the truth. Too close.

And now, she had a choice.

She could retreat, play the obedient wife, lull him into thinking he had won—or she could strike first.

The decision settled in her chest like stone.

She would not wait for Kaelith to dismantle her piece by piece.

She would take control.

With that thought, she rose from the bed and moved to the window. The city stretched below, quiet under the weight of the night. Somewhere out there, her allies were waiting.

She needed to get to them.

Needed to know what Kaelith had uncovered—and what else he might suspect.

The game was shifting.

And if she didn't act now…

She wouldn't survive the next round.