EMBER’S POV

Knox leans back, swirling the last of his whiskey. “Rayana’s family has serious political pull—old money, Council connections, the kind of influence that can make my life unnecessarily complicated. She’s also actually sick, even if she’s milking it. Telling a dying woman to fuck off publicly would give my enemies ammunition, and I’m not handing them that for free.”

“So you need a human shield.”

“I need to show I’ve moved on without creating a political shitstorm.” His eyes meet mine. “This is cleaner.”

I’m not entirely convinced that’s his real motivation, but whatever. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

At six, Simone returns with an army.

She...