Eventually she pulled back slightly, her eyes moving around the courtyard, taking in the ruined manor, the fading smell of burned magic, and the quietness of the place.
"Where is she?" she asked, her voice softer now, but still carrying an undercurrent of unease.
Valerian knew instantly that she was asking about Seraphielle. "I let her leave," he admitted, his voice even, though his jaw remained tightly set.
"What? Why?" Aurelia asked, a flicker of surprise and then anger in her eyes. "After everything she did, everything she put me through... you just let her go?"
"She put a dagger against her throat, Aurelia, and threatened to kill herself," Valerian explained, his voice even, though his eyes held a steely glint.
"Because of the essence bond linking you to her, she could have taken you with her. Her death, if self-inflicted while that bond was active, would have dragged you down with her. was a gamble I was unwilling to take, my love. Too great a risk."
