't dare spit out. Lucien stood next to her, staring at the shut doors. His face didn't give much away, but she could see the tightness in his jaw, the way his shoulders stiffened-like he

t, her mind buzzing. Those silver eyes stuck with her, digging into some deep part of her she couldn't name. A memory locked away, just out of her grasp. Had she seen him before? How could she have? She didn't have a life before this damn palace. Or did she? A soft voice cut through her thoughts. "My lady?" She turned and saw Alina hovering by the side door. The girl's face was white as a sheet, her eyes flicking between Celestine and the stairs where Lucien had gone. C

oss the stone walls. They headed deeper into the palace, slipping past the servants' rooms and cluttered storage spaces, down a narrow passage Celestine didn't even know