A Love That WS Sacrificed

s. Each step felt like it carried her closer to something she couldn't turn away from. She had accepted his proposal-an alliance born from the ashes of thei

her thoughts jumbled in a mess of doubt and urgency. S

lys

gh her. She didn't turn, but she could feel his presence looming behind her. Ev

gaze. He was standing just a few feet away, his dark eyes fi

id, his voice firm yet not unkind. "W

se to retreat. "Then what more is ther

say, Calysta. You don't think I'd let you walk out of here without a plan, do you? We need

so carefully built around her emotions rising again. "Tru

d. "Fair enough. But you'll have to trust me eventually. We both want the

im felt like a betrayal to everything she had fought for, everything her father had taught her. And yet

ve a whisper. "But remember, Lucien, one wrong

nown before everything had gone to hell. But that man was gone, replaced by someone far more dangerous, far more de

ng. "But if we're going to do this, if we're going to bring them down to

at we're dealing with. What's the full extent of your

ng. Your father and mine have been working in the shadows for years, pulling strings, influencing e

to the chest. She had always known her father was powerful, but the dep

she said, her voice steady despite the unease swirling with

e wait, the stronger their hold becomes. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. I've been watching

d you want me to trust you with this? To follow you bli

ust, Calysta. It's about survival. We don't have the luxury of

th stood at the precipice of a war that would consume everything in its pat

n," she said, her voice firm. "But I

s all I'm asking for. But remember, Calysta, this is bigger than both of us. It's bigger than our families, bigger than whate

n her chest, but something else too-a strange feeling of

en," she said, h

licker of approval in his eyes. "Let's m

t was clear that they were no longer enemies. But they were far from