Ember Frost’s POV

“I can’t go back like this,” I said, shaking my head. “Eira’s condition is still unstable, and we don’t have answers. Returning now would make everything we did meaningless.”

A spark of irritation flared inside me, sudden and fierce. Why did Orion feel the need to control everything? He wasn’t my parent. He wasn’t my master. What gave him the right to decide whether I stayed or went?

Who was he to decide such matters for me?

I knew he cared. I knew ...