Thoren
The hallway outside the security offices hummed with the low buzz of fluorescent lights, a stark contrast to the darkness that had swallowed the courtyard the night Michelle died.
I had left Nevara in my office, surrounded by personnel files and steaming cups of untouched coffee as she began the difficult task of finding someone to replace Sabrina. It was meticulous work—one that required intuition and patience—and it allowed me to focus on the matter at hand without exposing her to the harsher realities of what had happened.
Kael walked beside me, his expression set in hard lines. Though the healers had cleared him, there was still a faint stiffness in his movements, a reminder of how close we had come to losing more than just Michelle.
“The first guard is ready,” he said as we
