ETAN
He was numb. Hard and cold. His love for Ayleth still warm and coiled in his veins, but it was as if none of it touched his heart. He felt… ruthless.
She had to see. For her own good, she had to see!
Sensing the tension in the room, Borsche looked back and forth between them, Etan standing near the door, Ayleth seated at the table, staring at both of them like Etan had just pulled a poisonous viper from his pocket and offered it to her.
He saw the moment she absorbed the blow of learning that her trusted friend was Etan's spymaster. She blinked. Her chin rose a half inch, then she turned to Etan and their eyes locked. He sent a pulse of love along the bond—the truth of his heart—and she nodded once, as if commanding him to go on.