Avalon's POV

The whiskey sat untouched on my desk, it's amber colour catching the light. I'd poured it an hour ago, thinking it might calm me down but here I was still panicking.

I checked my phone again as I cursed under my breath. Still nothing from Valta.

She should have reached out by now.

The council had taken Zephyr six hours ago. Yes, it has been six hours since I'd watched them lead her away in chains, her eyes finding mine in that last moment, she looked confused, betrayed, and desperate. Six hours since I'd made the call that was supposed to fix everything.

Valta would extract her quietly...