[Elena's POV]

"Ryan is Adrian," I said.

The name finally hung in the open air between us, severing the heavy silence in the guest house.

I held his gaze, "If I handed you that truth two weeks ago, your first instinct would have been to eliminate the threat. That truth would make you kill him."

Noah didn't deny it.

"Yes," he stated. His voice was a low, steady gravel. "Before I knew he shared your blood, I would have ordered the hit." He took a single step forward, the expensive fabric of his ...