most didn't, turning the words over twice before she let them out, because sayi

all blackened circle burned clean through the paint, was enough to con

t and careful. "Wolf claws don't burn. This is something else. Some kind of cha

terns at Duskwood,

tterns at Duskwoo

rked. "Cancel

Wren

meant to frighten you. That's not a reason to walk toward him with a teap

't send burning warnings to strange servant girls in the middle of the night. He's afraid of something. People who aren'

rotective warring behind his eyes, and finally exhaled throug

t to make the whole thing look like nothing more than idle curiosity from a retired old advisor with too much time and an interest in medicinal p

es finally landed on Wren's face directly, no pillar between them now, no shadow to hide behi

d, settling into his chair with a small, pleasant smile. "I confess I

ly. "It's not every day a retired council ad

ne of her jaw, the shape of her eyes, the color of her hair, cataloguing her the way a man studies a face he's trying

y family kept a small hold

our parents, are t

sed some

rp underneath it, watching her with the intensity of a man testing every word

f, watching his face very closely as she said i

llowed lasted only

und the cup with just slightly too much control, the careful precision of a man forcing steadiness onto something that wanted to

you," Wren said. "Emory mentioned it. So

paused halfwa

aid, voice still pleasant, still smooth, but something underneath it had gone t

ered if you remembered the fires, th

behind it was not confusion, not idle curiosity, but something cold and calculating and afraid, the

e'd seen it at all, if Kian's hand hadn't found hers under the table at

omposure. "Perhaps it's the coastal air. Makes for curious minds, I've always heard." He rose, smoothing his co

ing back with that same pleasant, unhurried sm

I only just noticed. Extraordinary, really, how

ld find her voice, and by the time she did

"He looked right at me and to

her hand had

now he knows exactly how much we've already guessed. Which means whatever