Faye's POV
The cabin door slammed shut behind us with a finality that made my heart skip. Hardy had pulled me here the moment Matron Kyra disappeared, his fingers wrapped around my wrist like a vice. Now we stood alone in the cramped space, and I could feel his rage radiating off him in waves.
"What were you thinking when you accepted her challenge?" His voice sliced through the silence, colder and more dangerous than I had ever heard it. "Could you not see that she was baiting you?"
I tried to find my voice, but the words stuck in my throat. His eyes burned into mine, those crimson depths filled with a fury that made my knees weak. Every instinct screamed at me to bow my head, to apologize and let his anger wash over me until it passed.
But Matron Kyra's parting words echoed in my mind like a curse. You cannot shield her forever.
