The council building's interior held portraits lined on the walls—stern faces and kind eyes, each one a former Luna and a council member.
Vessara felt their scrutiny like a physical weight, and she had to resist the urge to adjust her dress, smooth her hair, and make herself somehow more than she was.
The boardroom doors loomed ahead, dark wood banded with iron. Sera opened the door; Finn peeled off to stand guard outside while Apollo followed them inside.
Seven women rose as Vessara entered. They moved as one.
And for a moment, Vessara felt like she was walking into a lion's den wearing nothing but raw meat. Their eyes swept over her, assessing, measuring, and judging. She forced herself to meet each gaze in turn.
Then they bowed. "Luna." They murmured in unison.
