SILAS

“Come home,” Viktor ordered.

“I’m busy.”

There was a time when I would have left whatever I was doing the second Viktor called. I had spent years relying on him, believing his approval and support were things I couldn’t afford to lose.

Things were different now.

Maya was sitting only a short distance away, beside her mother’s grave, after trusting me with a part of herself she rarely showed anyone.

I wasn’t ready to walk away from that.

“I need you here immediately,” Viktor snapped.

The sharpness in his voice scraped against my patience. I turned farther down the path, putting more space between myself and Maya.

My fingers...