LUCIEN

The whiskey burned like hell. I tilted the glass towards the firelight and watched the amber swirl like blood in a chalice. Rain rattled against the windows persistently.

I was tired of seeing her face.

Arya.

I could still remember, clear as day, the way she'd flinched when our lips touched. I could see the betrayal in her eyes. She hadn't seen me. She'd seen Anessa. And she had every reason to hate us both.

I tipped back the glass again, swallowing the guilt ...