Vera’s POV:

The moment those words left my lips, I saw a crack on his expression. There was a flicker of hesitation and slight fear in his eyes. This was Sylas, a man who I knew had stood unmoved in the face of screaming reporters, boardroom challenges, and threats I didn’t even understand, and now, he looked nervous. It was subtle, anyone else would have missed it, but I was so focused on his gauging his reaction that I didn’t.

His jaw tightened just slightly and his fingers which were already wrapped around mine stiffened slightly. His eyes began to search my face as though he was looking to find...