Auren POV

Lorien had been gone too long.

The room was settled; one of the volunteer Lunas had the mic and was smiling about another peaceful, prosperous year for our kind she didn’t have the faintest idea what she was talking about. My jaw tightened. I caught Olyssia’s eye and nodded toward the ladies’ room; she understood and tucked her napkin into her lap, already rising.

Before she could go, Lorien came barreling back around the corner. Her cheeks were flushed, her breath uneven, ...