The heavy oak doors of the Forane mansion closed behind them with a definitive thud, sealing the new, fragile pact.
Ishtar stood at the top of the steps, a picture of grace, waving them off with a triumphant smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Killa, her masked knight, stood silently beside her, an unreadable statue.
Dorian, flanked by Maria and Seraphina, didn't look back.
The trio walked in silence toward the waiting carriage, the air between them thick with unspoken resentment.
The seating arrangement in the carriage was a silent battle in itself. Seraphina, ever proactive, immediately slid in to sit beside Dorian.
Maria, with a barely perceptible sigh, took the seat opposite them, her gaze immediately fixing on the passing scenery outside the window, pointedly ignoring everyone else.
Lili, in her bat form, was nestled quietly in Dorian's pocket, wisely staying out of the line of fire.
