Derek's POV

The report sits on my desk, three lines that crack through my careful planning like lightning through glass.

'Cain Murdock. Status: Alive. Location: Crimson Eclipse custody.'

My fingers don't shake. They press flat against the polished wood, spreading wide as I breathe through my nose. The Council chamber feels smaller suddenly, the walls too close despite the vaulted ceilings.

Alive.

'Impossible.' But the words on the page don't change no matter how ...