Acantha exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "You're seriously thinking of pulling her out of the mission?"
Alaric gave a thin smile, his eyes dark. "I can't risk sending her into the Queen's lair blind. You know what happens to hunters caught on the wrong side of that door. I've seen her rip seasoned soldiers apart like parchment."
Acantha leaned forward, her tone edged with defiance. "You've also seen Adrianna knock grown vampires flat on their backs. She's more than ready."
"She's still young," Alaric murmured, his fingers tightening slightly around the rim of his glass. "Still reckless. Still…" His voice softened, trailing off into a silence heavy with things he wouldn't say aloud.
