Isla's POV
The body was still on the floor.
Nobody moved it. Nobody spoke. The entire hall had frozen into a tableau of shock and fear while servants scrambled to keep guests away from the corpse.
Cassian knelt beside the dead girl, his hand hovering over her lips without touching. Isla watched his face change in subtle ways. His jaw tightened. His eyes went distant. Then he looked up at her, and something dangerous flickered across his features.
"Blood-witch compound," he said quietly. "Mixed with wolfsbane and something older. Something I haven't seen in centuries."
The words hung in the air like a curse.
Isla didn't understand what that meant, but she understood the tone. This was bad. This wasn't a simple assassination attempt. This was something calculated. Something evil.
