Mira’s POV

The hall was empty when I returned. Kael’s scent was steady and grounded. Papers covered the table again. I stopped at the doorway and watched him for a couple of seconds. He didn’t look up, but I knew he felt me there.

The air carried too much memory, too much truth we’d never voiced. I meant to ask about the border marks, but the words died. “Neither should you.”

The silence that followed wasn’t cold; it was recognition. Two soldiers too tired to lie, two hearts too ...