The moon hung low and heavy over the treetops, casting pale silver light over the secluded clearing just outside the estate. The leaves rustled with a quiet wind, the night thick with anticipation. Riven stood at the edge of the path, his green eyes sharp and guarded as he waited.
Ronan wanted to follow and stay nearby, but Riven did not allow it. He knew that Julius was a twisted man at times. He did not want to risk not getting the list in case Julius realised that Ronan was here.
Riven was not aware of how much Julius had changed. Eli did not mention it.
Footsteps crunched over the leaf-strewn path, slow and unsteady. Then Julius appeared, stepping into the moonlight. Riven blinked.
Julius looked exhausted.
His black hair, always so meticulously styled when they were younger, now hung limply around his face. His sharp features were shadowed, not with the arrogance Riven remembered, but with fatigue.
