Malrik POV

Drethos was about to unleash a storm, and he damn well knew it.

I braced myself for the hit.

“I tried to reach you,” he said to Cassian, his voice dipped in false disappointment.

“But you ignored me. Always so high and mighty.” His chuckle was sharp, mocking, as if my silence alone had been a personal offense.

I rose slowly from my chair, unwilling to let him dictate the tone of this moment. Cassian’s attention locked onto me now, heavy as a vice around my chest. ...