Mara's Pov

"Mara,"

My name in his tongue disgusted me. He reached out, coming close to me, but I didn't let him get close. I didn't even let him speak.

"Elias," I said, my voice as cold and flat. "I don't want him here. I don't want him near me, and I don't want him in this building."

I felt Elias stare on me before he stepped into the space between us, his presence shielding me from David. He didn't look at David with anger; he looked at him with the detached boredom of a man swatting a fly.

"You heard her," Elias said. He turned his head slightly toward...