Elara’s pov

I didn’t see him for days.

The chamber swallowed me whole, its silence more loud than anything I had ever heard.

It was driving me nuts.

Clara visited, the guards stood watch, food appeared at regular intervals, but Kaelen was gone—as if the shadows themselves had devoured him.

When the door finally swung open, I almost flinched at the sound.

He strode in, tall, sharp, face carved from ice and fire. His golden eyes swept the chamber once before settling on me, ...