"She's..."
"She's right," Damian said again. He looked at Eve. "The Bloodline Council doesn't negotiate meeting conditions. If she pushes back they close the door and it stays closed." He paused. "She goes alone."
Damon stood up.
Walked to the window.
Stood there with his back to the room and his shoulders tight and his hands at his sides.
Nobody said anything.
"If something happens to her," Damon said.
"Nothing is going to happen to her," Silas said.
"You don't know that," Damon said.
"The Bloodline Council hasn't harmed a diplomatic visitor in four hundred years," Silas said. "Their entire reputation is built on being the faction you can approach without fear of retaliation. It's part of what makes them powerful." He paused. "They won't hurt her. It would cost them more than any outcome from this meeting is worth."
Damon was quiet for a long moment.
Then he turned around.
Looked at Eve.
"You come back," he said.
"I always come back," she said.
He held her gaze.
