Thoren
I caught the sharp flicker in Nevara’s eye before she even spoke.
“She’s sneaking around again,” she muttered, voice low but tight. “I know Michelle promised she wouldn’t get into the party, but I don’t trust it. Handle it.”
My gaze followed hers. Sure enough, Bethany was lurking just past the pillars—shoulders stiff, mouth pinched, watching the arriving guests like a predator trying not to salivate.
As if on cue, a blur of motion darted across the cobbled courtyard. Jonas, chasing a runaway ball, barreled straight toward a cluster of nobles from the Northern Skylands. One startled woman gasped and nearly dropped her reticule.
I moved without thinking.
A few long strides had me scooping up the ball in one hand and snagging the back of the boy’s tunic with the other before he c
