The room fell to a silence that could’ve stopped Eris’ heart. The din of Morigana’s preparations were the only disruption as he stared up with bleary eyes at Marion. This wasn’t how he wanted them to find out. He wanted them to know, eventually, in his own time. It was a delicate matter, one he knew that they would be less than thrilled about.

“Please,” he rasped, his hand trembling in Marion’s. “Please, just listen,” he pleaded for a moment.

He was going to ...