The dining hall was luxury itself, but the air within it was stagnant with the scent of old rivalries and fresh blood waiting to be spilled.
It was a great sight.
The Duke sat at the head, a king in his counting house. To his left and right, the hierarchy of the Valerius household was laid bare.
First, there was Lady Elara, the first wife. Her silver hair was pulled back into a coil so tight it looked painful, and her slitted, pale eyes reminded me of a winter viper. She was the source of Caelum's icy composure and his coloring.
She didn't eat; she merely watched, her gaze flicking between her son and me with a cold, calculating disdain.
Opposite her sat Lady Selene, a broad-shouldered, golden-maned lioness who radiated a blunt, physical power. She was Julian's mother, and she looked at me like she wanted to settle this 'scandal' with a duel rather than a dinner.
She tore into her bread with a ferocity that made the silver rattle.
