Chapter 8 · Forbidden Echoes

"Stop looking at me like I'm some kind of charity case, Nora," Sera snapped, her voice echoing off the cold marble of the dressing room. She tried to pull her arm away, but Nora's grip tightened, pinning her against the vanity mirror with a sharp clink of glass bottles.

"You're not a charity case. You're a liability," Nora countered, her face inches away. Her breath was warm, smelling of expensive mint and something metallic—the lingering scent of the shadow magic she'd been suppressing all night. "A liability who knows exactly how to ruin my life in ten seconds flat."

Sera let out a harsh, jagged laugh. "Oh, please. You love the thrill. The golden girl of Solis, playing house with a rogue hunter. Does the High Archon know you like it when I fight back?"

Nora didn't flinch. Instead, she stepped closer, the fabric of her white ceremonial gown brushing against Sera's leather gear. The contrast was sickening—purity versus filth, light versus the gutter. Nora's hand shifted, her fingers sliding from Sera's wrist to the small of her back, pulling her flush against her.

"Kaelen doesn't need to know anything," Nora whispered, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low hum.