THORNE POINT OF VIEW

Lucian didn’t bother with courtesy.

He looked upset and it hit the moment I stepped into the room.

“You took your time,” he said.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut clean.

I kept walking until there was only a short distance between us. “I don’t recall answering to you.”

“You don’t,” he replied without hesitation. “But you were supposed to stand for her.”

That made me pause, not enough for anyone else to notice, but I felt it.

The room had gone ...