Arius pov.

The moment I saw him, every buried emotion surged to the surface all twisting through me like a storm. Every instinct in my body flared to life from the familiar sting of negative emotions that I’d spent years trying to contain.

Alaric.

Alive.

He stood at the top of the stairwell, bathed in shadow and torchlight, the same smug expression curling his lips.

"Freya," I said slowly, never taking my eyes off him. "Didn’t you say he was dead?"

Her ...