When they returned to the celebration, the night had already deepened into a velvet blue, lanterns swaying above the courtyard like captured stars. Music still played—soft drums, distant flutes, the murmur of voices drifting like smoke—but Elaine felt none of it. Her heart hadn’t fully settled since the confrontation. Darius, walking beside her, looked composed on the outside, but she could feel the charge beneath his skin. Every step he took vibrated with barely restrained fury.
At least he was calm enough now to hide it.
They headed straight toward Marcus, Evan, and Nathan—who stood near the long banquet tables, waiting anxiously. The moment they reached them, Elaine dropped down to her son’s height, scooping him into her arms so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Nathan squeaked at t
