The Price of Loyalty
“You shouldn’t be up.”
Flora barely glanced up as Adrian stepped inside the tent, his voice low but laced with frustration. He stood at the entrance, arms crossed, silhouetted against the dim lantern light.
“I’m fine,” she said, though the stiffness in her movements told a different story.
Adrian exhaled sharply, stepping closer. “You got stabbed, Flora. That’s not ‘fine.’”
She waved him off. "It's not like I planned it."
His jaw tightened. He crouched beside her, eyes scanning her wrapped wound. She looked better than she had hours ago-less pale, more steady-but that didn't change what had happened. What could've happened.
"You scared the hell out of me," he muttered.
Flora's expression softened. "I know.
For a moment, there was no answer. The heft of that ni
