The air was thick with tension, each breath a labored struggle as Brielle paced the length of the study. Her fingers toyed idly with the edge of the ornate dagger sheathed at her hip – a nervous habit she had picked up in the wake of the recent threats that had shaken their world to its very core.

"You're going to wear a groove in the floor if you keep that up," Darius rumbled, his deep voice laced with a hint of fond exasperation.

Brielle shot him a withering glare, her steps faltering for the briefest of moments. "How can you be so calm?" she demanded, her voice trembling with...