Ravić lifted me with ease, cradling me like a bride.
My head lay against his chest, the veil still clinging to my hair. I didn't know, despite it all, but I didn't dare tug it free. It felt too fragile, too heavy with meaning to ruin, not when it had carried me through fire. So I just let it hung on me, as he carried me out.
Ravić's stride was relentless, the corridors streaming past us in a blur. Servants froze as we passed, their faces half-hidden in the haze of my exhaustion. I shut my eyes and pressed closer, grateful for his warmth and the shield of his body around mine.
Rayna had been right. He may be plotting, he may have already done terrible things, but after today, there was no doubt that he will never turn that cruelty on me. Everyone had seen it.
But in killing the priest, he hadn't just shown them power. He had shown them his biggest weakness. Me.
