Damien.
My gaze was still fixed on Darren, watching the way his expression shifted, shock, disbelief, something darker, all colliding at once behind his eyes. It was as if everything we had just uncovered was crashing down on him at the same time, piece by piece, too fast for even him to process.
For a brief second, he looked… lost, then it vanished, replaced by something far more dangerous.
His jaw tightened, his fists clenched at his sides, and without another word, he shot us one last deadly look, sharp, warning, filled with a storm he didn't bother to hide.
Then he turned and stormed out of the dungeon like a man on the edge of losing control.
The sound of the door slamming echoed through the space, leaving behind a heavy silence that pressed in on all of us.
But even as he left, my mind wasn't on him anymore, it was on what had just been said.
On what Aidan had said.
The words refused to leave my head.
The mark from the bond doesn't lie.
