#Chapter 151 – Almost-Treason

Damon Maps covered the table in uneven layers, edges curling from heat and time. The wax seal on the latest council decree sat half-melted where I’d pressed it down hours ago, forgotten. I couldn’t stop pacing. Every few strides I circled back to the table, fingers brushing the ink-stained edges of the parchment I hadn’t been able to burn. Ella’s copy of the engagement contract. My name scrawled onto it in black and blood, binding me to a future I didn’t want. Zane prowled in my chest, restless, low growls rumbling under every thought, escaping my throat when I couldn’t keep them contained. We should kill her, he hissed, sharp and insistent. Kill them all and take what we need. “And leave Lila to die?” I muttered under my breath. My voice sounded harsh in the empty room. “No. Not until she’s safe.” The scent of rain drifted in through the cracked windows. I wondered if Lila could still smell it from her chambers, if she hated this place as much as I was starting to.