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“Overwhelm me? You’ve captured me andlockedme in atower!” I couldn’t control the rage that now drenched my words. This was ridiculous. They were clearly not concerned about my comfort, no need to pretend otherwise.

“Look, I can’t tell you what I can’t tell you. It’s as simple as that. I’m open to answering other questions you may have, but therewill always be a line—atoo far. At least for now. Until we know what your intentions are,” she said coolly.

I leaned back against the wall, our eyes locked in a stalemate.

“How much do you know about what is happening between this realm and the one you came from?” she asked.

“I know you’ve killed friends of mine—killed hundreds of my fellow soldiers.”

Vexa’s eyes went sharp with recognition as we continued to stare at each other, and I immediately regretted the admission—confirming that I had been a part of the Guard at all. She didn’t speak for a long while, and neither did I.

“How exactly are we supposed to react to the lifeforce being sucked from our lands? Ask nicely for them to stop? To stop killing us?” she seethed.

“How do you know that’s even actually happening?” I shot back.

She glared at me, dumbfounded.

“What exactly do you think those towers of arcanite are for? You think they just grew up out of the ground like that? In those locations? Do any of you even know where it came from?—”

“Vexa.” The growl came from the hallway, just beyond the door. Both our eyes shot in the direction, sending a slice through the tension that had begun building in the room.

Both of us froze, the word hanging between us like a blade. My eyes snapped toward her again. Vexa's lips twitched, a flash of annoyance passing across her face as she turned away.

“That’s enough questions for today, I think.”

I watched, rooted in place, as she stood, stretched her arms above her head in a lazy motion, like she had nowhere urgent to be. But I felt the space between us contract, the distance of this room closing in on me all over again.

She’s leaving.

Something in my chest clenched tight. I’d grown accustomed tothe silence, to the stillness of the tower. But with Vexa about to walk out, it felt more like abandonment. Like she was taking the last shred of interaction with her.

I swallowed, the lump in my throat growing as I tried to push away the cold emptiness that suddenly seemed so much more suffocating.

Alone. Again.

Just as she reached the door, she turned around and rested against it, crossing her arms and studying me before slipping a dagger from the sheath across her chest.

I froze.

But her body remained still, relaxed as she balanced the blade across a single finger, testing the weight and eyeing the construction. After a few seconds, she leaned her head back and sighed.

“Rest up. I’ll take you to the stables tomorrow.”

CHAPTER THREE

“These should work,”Vexa said as she handed me a stack of black fabric and dropped a pair of boots at my feet.

“Erm, thanks.” I managed to get out before she turned and climbed up onto the bars at my window and took a seat.

“No mind games? You promise? Don’t make me look like an idiot in front of Aether. I’ll never live it down.” She arched an eyebrow, her lips twisting into something like a smirk.

“No mind games,” I repeated, slipping out of my sleeping garments.

Her expression deepened, not quite friendly, but not entirely mocking either. I couldn’t tell if it was humor or a warning.

“The Vördr,” she said as her boots thudded lightly on the floor. “They may seem domesticated, but they’re wild at heart. They only let us pretend we’re in control. Never forget that.”

I turned to face the mirror behind the bed, avoiding the reflection of my eyes. My gaze slid over the leathers. They were thicker than the ones I’d worn in Sídhe, etched with intricate patterns and burn marks that seemed to writhe and twist around my body like liquid smoke.