CIAN
I turned to Valentine and Madeline. They were still standing there somehow, watching the entire scene unfold.
"I'm pretty sure I said you could go."
My voice came out harder than I meant it to. More authoritative. The kind of tone that left no room for argument.
Valentine's eyes flickered toward Teagan, then back to me. For a second I thought he might say something. But he simply nodded and gestured to Madeline. They moved toward the door together without another word.
The sentinels followed.
Their boots echoed against the stone floor as they filed out one by one. The heavy door shut behind them with a dull thud that seemed to swallow all the sound in the room.
Now it was just me and Teagan.
She was still on her knees. Her hands were shaking where they rested against her thighs. Tears streamed down her face in steady tracks, carving clean lines through the dirt smeared across her cheeks.
I looked down at her.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
