"Then it's settled," I said, leaning back from the table and letting the tension bleed out of my shoulders. "You stay out of my business with Alice, and I'll stay out of yours."
Amelia's arms folded tight across her chest, her chin tilting up in that noble defiance of hers. "Fine. But if Alice ends up hurt because of you—broken—don't expect me to wait for permission. I'll end it myself."
I smiled faintly, as if she'd just threatened me with a wooden spoon. "Duly noted."
The air between us still crackled with unspoken hostility when Velra, who had been lounging with that eternal smirk of hers, finally decided to stir.
Her voice slipped into the room like velvet over a blade. "All very dramatic, but… you haven't forgotten our little contract, have you, parasite?"
Her crimson eyes glittered, half amusement, half warning.
I turned my head toward her, the corner of my mouth tugging upward. "Forget? Hardly. I came prepared."
