"You have put quite a show, but everything has a location, don't you think?"
Aeliana's gaze snapped to Luca, her amber eyes narrowing in irritation.
Luca merely raised his hands in mock surrender, his lips curling into that ever-present smirk. "Come on now," he murmured, his voice smooth, teasing, as if the tension crackling between father and daughter wasn't thick enough to choke. "Don't show your fangs—you're going to scare me."
His black eyes flicked to the side, subtly signaling behind them.
Aeliana's brow twitched.
And then she saw it.
The knights.
Most of them were pretending to be occupied, hands tightening on weapons, adjusting armor, staring just a little too hard at the horizon as if the sight of endless ocean had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world.
But it was obvious.
They had been listening.
Every single one of them.
