I knew there was no way I could openly defy Epoch’s command.
Not tonight.
Not when his eyes had looked the way they did before he turned and left—cold on the surface, but roiling underneath with the kind of urgency that only appeared when something truly dangerous was unfolding.
If I chased after him now, he had a thousand ways to stop me. A single order, a single look, and I would be escorted back like an unruly child. Worse, I would only slow him down.
Still, the unease refused to leave my chest.
It sat there, heavy and sharp, like a blade lodged between my ribs, twisting every time I took a breath.
So instead of doing something reckless, I did the only thing I could.
I called Lucy.
When she picked up, the chaos on her end hit me like a physical force. Metal clanged against metal
