I was anchored only to a glass that was perpetually empty and a perpetually full rage.
KAEL POV
The silence in the BlackThorne command villa was a deception so elegant the King's own spies could have woven it. From the outside, the compound appeared serene: stone walls kissed by moonlight, banners fluttering with noble insignia, the air a still lake before a storm. Inside, however, everything hummed. Down the hall, behind a series of security wards and sealed doors, Taemin was locked in a protective calm, her bond radiating enough power to level armies if she lost control. The quiet was not peace. It was a waiting predator crouched in the dark.
