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“Do you understand what this is?”

A twitch pulled at the corner of my mouth. He moved fast. Hands hitting the desk hard enough to shift it. Out of character for a man I knew better than myself.

“She’s a Daughter, Alaric. Do you have any idea what that means?”

I turned my head. That was enough.

He stopped.

Immediately.

“Do you know what was done to her?” He pressed, his breaths heavier. There was a catch, then his voice deepened. “I’ve read the file. What’s in there⁠—”

The scrape of her foot cut through it.

Uneven.

Measured.

Pain, carried without hesitation.

Then—her hand.

Light.

Uninvited.

Tracing the edge of my scar.

“I don’t want to know.”

The words came flat.

Final.

Rafe went still. A beat. Then⁠—

“Don’t be a⁠—”

“Careful.”

Silence snapped back into place.

I turned slightly. Not toward him. Toward where she’d stood.

“I will know what she tells me.”

Nothing else.

No one spoke.

“What do you want me to tell Mrs. Reid?”

I drew in a breath. “I’ll let you know.”

He waited for a second, then the heavy sound of his boots resounded. I tracked the sound out of the study, then along the hallway before it faded away.

I listened to the silence he left behind. Then his words filled it again. I’ve read the file. My mind went elsewhere. To my own files. The ones I kept. The ones I built. Images. Patterns. Names. Purpose.