"That's enough, Elias. This conversation ends here."
Zane stepped forward, his hand gripping Elias's shoulder and pulling him back. His voice was calm yet carried the weight of authority, the kind that silenced everything else in its wake.
Elias glared up at him, frustration flashing through his hazel eyes. He had been so close to the truth—so close that he could almost touch it. He couldn't let it slip away again.
He shrugged off Zane's hand with a defiant motion. "This has nothing to do with you, Zane."
"Serein is now a member of Eclipse," Zane replied, his tone clipped and cold. "Anything concerning her is under my responsibility."
His grip tightened on Elias's shoulder; a faint layer of frost crept across the fabric under his palm."And you, Elias, are still under my command."
Serein froze. The atmosphere had shifted so abruptly that she could barely breathe. She wanted to step in, to say something that might ease the tension, but Elias was faster.
