The sunset was beginning to filter through the high window of my office, tinting the stone walls with shades of copper and purple. Shadows stretched across the tapestries, and the light caressed the shelves filled with old parchments, as if trying to extract secrets from centuries past. I had spent the entire day hiding from Selene. I knew it had been my fault, but her shrill laughter and her boldness were becoming unbearable. I had given her the task of preparing Stephen's welcome party to keep her somewhat distant, as her presence had become an irritating noise threatening to contaminate my thoughts.
And I couldn't afford distractions. Not with the memory drilling into my skull over and over again.
My brother. Stephen.
Eliza's images of him were enough to ignite raw hatred within me, like burning iron. And the worst part wasn't even that. The worst was the damned mystery that was eating away at me: how had he managed to remove the ring from her finger?
