A light touch on his shoulder snapped Kael out of his thoughts.
He blinked and lowered his gaze to his hands. His fingers were tightly wound together, knuckles strained, as though he were trying to strangle the empty air between them.
For a moment, he simply stared at them, almost confused by the tension he found there.
Slowly, he loosened his grip, taking a quiet breath as he forced himself back into the present.
Kael offered him a faint, half-hearted smile before leaning back against the chair and closing his eyes. He hadn't been resting for more than a few moments when the tranquility of the hallway was shattered by a sudden burst of hurried footsteps.
His brow twitched.
Kael cracked open one eye, glancing toward the approaching figure. The moment he recognized who it was, he seem
