The sweetness of the cliffs dissolved the moment they passed beneath the iron gates of the castle. Elias felt the interference take hold of him again—threads of artificial resonance tightening around his ribs, syncing to a rhythm that was not entirely natural. The clean connection he and Cassian had shared beyond the city walls fractured on contact with it. The lag returned as a thin, needling vibration at the base of his skull.
Xavier slipped away into the shadows without a word, dissolving into his usual anonymity. Cassian dismounted Azreal first. In the fields he had steadied Elias instinctively, fingers firm at his waist; here he did not reach for him. In the courtyard, every touch was like an announcement.
Elias slid down on his own. His boots hitting the cobblestone with a heavier sound than he intended. He kept his face smooth as the resonance tightened around his pulse.
