Rayna and I stood on the balcony, overlooking the courtyard that bled into the forest beyond. Below, rows of soldiers stood in a rigid formation, their armor glinting faintly under the muted dawn light. The King sat beneath a canopy, flanked by his guards. Unmoving, and unreadable.
They didn't know we were here.
Lucien was safe with the nanny Rayna had brought, as they wandered around the other side of the castle with little Rose. Far away from here. I wondered, for the first time, if Uncle Jonathan even knew he had a granddaughter. Somehow, I doubted he'd even cared. He have always despised vampires. Even now.
"I never knew him," Rayna murmured, her voice barely rising above the wind. Below, a soldier slipped a black sack over his head. A small mercy. "I guess this is something only you and Angelo will carry."
I didn't answer. My hands gripped the railing, the cold stone biting into my palms.
