She rose from her chair in one fluid motion. When she reached him, he took her hand, his grip firm and possessive, and together they turned toward the door.
They left the sitting room with the unhurried, casual ease of two people who had somewhere far more important to be, leaving the scholarly war council behind in their wake.
Theo watched them go. His eyes remained fixed on the page in front of him, but his body was coiled tight. He kept his gaze downward for exactly as long as it took for the rhythmic echo of their footsteps to fade completely from the corridor outside.
Then, he slowly set the volume down.
Elaris, watching him from the head of the table with that quiet, penetrating attention she reserved for her family, saw the muscle in his jaw clench until it looked like stone.
