Chapter 49

Cerys's POV

Upstairs, neither Valerius nor I spoke of Kaelen Ashwood again. It was as if his presence had been scrubbed clean from the air, leaving only the steady sound of our breathing and the faint hum of the rain beyond the den.

"Happy birthday," Valerius murmured.

He lifted a slender chain and fastened it around my neck. It was a silver thorned rose-delicate yet bold, beautiful enough to draw