Chapter 6 · Gilded Cage, Velvet Lies

"Drop the letter, Sera. Now."

Nora’s voice didn't scream, but it had that edge—the kind that makes your skin crawl because you know she’s already decided how she’s going to break you. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, her golden aura shimmering just enough to remind me that she could flatten me into the floorboards without blinking.

I didn't drop it. I gripped the parchment tighter, the ink from Kaelen’s secret note smudging against my thumb. "Since when do you check your assistant's mail?"

"Since you became my assistant," Nora stepped forward. The air in the room suddenly felt thick, like I was breathing underwater. "And since you're wearing my cuffs. Which, by the way, tell me exactly how fast your heart is beating right now. It's practically drumming a war march. Who's the letter from?"

I backed away, my heels clicking against the marble. "None of your business."

In a blur of gold and white, she was there. Her hand clamped around my wrist—the one with the inhibitor cuff—and slammed it against the wall. The impact wasn't enough to break bone, but it was enough to make me gasp. She didn't let go.