Cassian POV
"We need to talk."
The words barely left my mouth before..
"No."
Sarafina's voice cuts through the room, sharp and certain. It stops everything.
Alistair stills beside me. Lyra blinks in confusion. And I….I lean back slightly, studying her.
She's already watching us closely, eyes looking between Alistair and I.
"You don't get to start like that," she says, her gaze locked on mine. "Not when I already know you're hiding something."
I exhale slowly.
"…What do you think you know?"
Her eyes narrow slightly.
"That the whole invisibility thing this morning?" she says. "It wasn't just a random discussion to help me, it was bait."
Alistair shifts beside me. Not enough for most people to notice. But I do.
Sarafina continues, her voice steady, controlled—but there's something under it. Something sharper.
"You wanted me to learn it, not just because it was useful." She leans forward slightly. "Because you needed it, something to do with Hope Haven."
