Bloodlines and Hidden Thrones
"This my love over here told me." Victor pointed at Videl.
The gesture was casual, almost lazy, yet the effect was immediate.
Every eye in the room turned toward Videl.
For a brief breath, even the murmuring underworld den seemed to go quiet.
Torchlight crackled along the stone walls. The smell of old wood, iron, wine, and smoke lingered in the air. Somewhere deeper in the building men laughed over dice, but in this chamber, silence tightened.
Videl folded her arms beneath her chest, sapphire eyes flickering toward Victor with a look half proud, half embarrassed at being singled out as my love. Lane's lips tightened almost invisibly at the phrase. Clara noticed. Brinda noticed too.
Victor, meanwhile, merely leaned back in his chair as if he had tossed a pebble into still water and was now watching the ripples.
Seeing Victor had no intention of hiding anything, Videl began explaining.
