(Ava’s POV)
I hated the silence between us more than I hated the shouting.
It was the kind of silence that hung in the air long after words had been exchanged, heavy with everything we hadn’t said. And now, as Dominic and I sat across from each other at the strategy table—maps sprawled out, markers pinned to the borders of both Shadow Claw and Ravenwood—I could feel it pulsing between us like a second heartbeat.
“I don’t trust this,” Dominic muttered, eyes narrowed on the message Caleb had sent that morning. “A sudden request for peace talks after months of posturing? It’s bait.”
“It might be,” I said, my voice steady even though I felt the heat of his tension radiating toward me, “but we can use it.”
His eyes lifted to mine—dark, sharp, searching. “Use it how?”
“We draw him out. Let
