tte

c-I couldn't look like I'd just fought my way through a forest. I forced my breathing t

tall as giants and clad in black uniforms, stepped

ck," one of them said, his vo

ade it hard to breathe. My knees almost buckled. I fought the instinct to shr

ng me face-first into the mud while she laughed. I'd crawled home with blood in

ed, overly bright smile I could manage. I blinked my wide eyes, til

lilt. "I'm here to see my Lord Uncle! He's expecting me-well, mayb

ch other. Their stony expressions crack

The Regent h

here by that name. Which family are you fr

the name hang in the air, then immediately undercut it with another odd, too-wide smile. "And I know i

ost. Some mean girls were chasing me. Very mean. One of them kicked me once-right here-" I gestured vaguely at my knee, "-and I

ed another look. T

be dead? What was she doing here, claiming the fearsome Lord Regen

d in. "She's... not rig

sassination attempt-no trained spy would walk up to the gates of the Regent's manor acting like a deranged child. But t

slightly. "Please. I've been so scared." A tear traced a

muttered to his partner, "She's obviously no

here." He gestured to the younger. "Watch he

ame, didn't know what kind of man he was-only that he held enough a

I had made myself someone else's problem-

as polished to a dull gleam, and the iron hinges on the door were carved with intricate wolf motifs. The table held a single ornament: a silver plate etc

I was cataloging every detail. The wealth here was casual, effortless-the kind of wealth that didn'

too afraid to notice. The new

ng. Firm, confident, measur

epidation. The door swung open, and the man who

-hawkish, cold, and assessing. He swept his gaze over me once, and I felt like I'd been stripped bare and weighed on a scale. The A