There was an eerie silence after Xaden's question was sharp enough to slice through bone.
Where is Jasmine?
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The air shifted, thick with something unspoken.
Erik averted his gaze. Nanny Nia's fingers wrung themselves in front of her.
Even Loren, usually blunt and unbothered, suddenly found something fascinating in the herbs inside his bag.
Xaden's brows furrowed, confusion settling into a slow burn across his chest.
What the hell was going on?
But before he could press further, the doors burst open with a gust of perfume and hurried footsteps.
"Xaden!"
It was his sister, Anna.
And he felt guilt wash over him that he had completely forgotten his own sister and only remembered Jasmine.
She ran to him, a blur of gold curls and velvet sleeves.
Her arms threw themselves around his neck before anyone could react.
"Gods, you're alive," she breathed, her voice cracking. "I thought I'd lost you—"
