For a moment, the only sound in the hall was the shuffle of boots and the faint buzz of the lanterns above. Everyone was moving — everyone except him.
Evander hadn't said another word since ordering Rook to prepare the cars. He just stood there, quiet, and it was somehow worse than when he was angry. His silence always meant he was thinking — and that was dangerous.
Finally, his voice came. Smooth. Cold. Controlled. "You want just tea, right?"
I nodded quickly, probably too quickly. "Yes. Tea."
There was a pause. The kind of pause that made my stomach twist.
"And food," I added, because apparently, I had a death wish. (No like literally)
The words tumbled out before I could stop them — as if my brain had taken a coffee break and left my mouth in charge.
I felt Mara's hand tighten around my arm instantly, her nails digging into my sleeve, a silent please, stop talking written into her touch.
But of course, I didn't.
