Gavriel was still panting when he returned to the palace, his body shifting back into human form as the first light of dawn spilled over the stone walls. Instead of heading to his bedchamber, he went straight to his meeting chamber, ordering a servant to summon Simon at once.

He poured himself a glass of wine and sank into the chair, the cool burn sliding down his throat. His chest still heaved from the run, but it wasn’t from exhaustion—it was from the gnawing ache in his chest, the ...