After Kael announced that he wasn't a human, silence followed.
Not the fragile kind—but the brittle and dangerous kind, stretching tight enough to snap.
Seraphina's lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she said nothing.
Then her jaw tightened. Slowly, deliberately, she closed her eyes, breath steadying as if she were restraining something sharp and unpleasant rising from within.
When she opened them again, her gaze was hard.
"Then what are you?" She asked. "What race?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
He shook his head once, a small and tired motion.
"Didn't you understand the first time?" He said flatly.
"I already told you—I'm not human." His eyes narrowed. "And I don't see why I should tell you anything else when I still don't know what your real objective is."
Seraphina frowned. "I already told you—"
"You told me what you'd do if I were human," Kael cut in, his voice sharp. "But what if I'm not?" His gaze bored into hers. "You never said what you'd do then."
