Lorien POV

“I’ll come back to you.” His voice trembled with quiet certainty, and for a heartbeat it felt like a promise I wanted to clutch. Still, I couldn’t pretend I believed it without reservation. Until morning, there was no guarantee of his safety. If he killed one of his own tonight, even if he survived, would he come back the same man? “Tell me you’ll be here… that you’ll be alive when I come home.”

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. Terror gnawed at me, but I ...