Keith's POV
The private room felt smaller than it should have. I couldn't stop pacing, my boots wearing a path into the expensive carpet. The others were watching me—I could feel their eyes—but I didn't care.
The auction had been a disaster.
We'd failed. I'd failed. The artifact that could have helped Kayden, that could have given us a real chance at breaking whatever psychological cage Zarek had locked him in, was gone. In the hands of the Shadowmeres now. In the hands of Eleanor's family.
And Mira and Roxy's ambush? Also a failure. They hadn't been able to get it back either.
So now we had nothing. Just the hollow certainty that our enemies had gotten exactly what they wanted.
I hated this feeling. The helplessness. The way it crawled under my skin and made me want to break something.
"She's changed."
Kieran's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. I stopped pacing and turned to face him.
"What?"
"Eleanor," he said, his voice flat. "I saw her. At the auction."
