Putting them in places

Elira's POV

I pranced into the dining hall to see it packed with all my staff.

The cooks, the cleaners, the security, all of them eyed me like I was some ghost who’d clawed her way out of a grave.

Not that they were wrong anyway.

I stood at the head of the long mahogany table, my shoulder still throbbing from that damn park ambush, the dagger Matteo gave me tucked into my belt. There was no way I'd risk anyone taking it or something.

That dagger wasn't just a weapon; it was a promise, a symbol that I wasn't alone no matter what.

I kept...