For reasons she couldn't quite articulate, Aurora felt a fleeting chill in Clara’s dark eyes, like the delicate edge of a blade catching the light. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there.

Clara offered no direct answer to the inquiry posed to her, brushing it off with a curt, clinical reply: “Let me examine the patient.”

Aurora immediately stepped aside, gesturing toward the bed where Mason lay. Clara walked over, her stride purposeful, and placed her ...