Page 55 of Unveiled

As they left the square, Connor glanced back once. Xiathen stood beside the well, ribbons snapping in the wind. And Connor understood with cold clarity that forgetting wasn’t a mercy. It was a wall. And walls existed only to keep something in or something out.

Chapter Fifteen

Adrian

The fort didn’t have Brannigan Castle’s grace. It had edges. Adrian noticed them every time he crossed the yard. Stone corners were not rounded by age so much as worn down by use. Slit windows set high and narrow. Walls built without apology for their purpose, not architectural grandeur. This place had never pretended defence was optional.

Tonight, it felt too closed in. The heat from the great hall pressed thickly against his skin, smoke clinging low beneath the rafters. Conversation softened when he passed, voices fading mid-sentence before picking up again, never quite reaching their former volume.

Adrian was halfway down the corridor toward the kitchen to grab coffee, and then he’d spend time in his study reading through a medical psychology journal before going to bed. Max fell into step beside him, his eyes narrowing.

“You’ve got a problem,” Max said quietly.

Adrian didn’t slow. “Mon ami, I have several of those.”

“This one’s got shoulders and a temper,” Max replied. “And he’s been pacing like a dog that’s caught a scent.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Garrett.”

They reached the study doors. It was Adrian’s refuge filled with contemporary furniture, soft music, and a desk filled with gadgets that put a hacker to shame. This was the one room in the fort that didn’t demand he be King every second. It let him be a man who read, practised his hard-learned psychology skills, thought, and remembered the world had once been simpler than the now filled with Veils, Councils, and towns that shouldn’t exist.

As Adrian entered the room, he saw Garrett inside and alone near the long table in the centre. He’d lit no fire, but the room felt hot anyway, probably charged by the sheer force of his anger. He turned as Adrian came in while Max stayed by the door, his arms folded, silent but present.

Adrian shut the door behind him. “You wanted to talk?”

Garrett’s mouth twisted. “I want to know if you’re going to tell your people the truth.”

Adrian’s gaze was steady. “Which truth would you like? The one where I’m partly responsible for a village that fell out of another realm, or the one where the Council of Veils might come knocking, or the one where everyone’s suddenly calling me a title I didn’t ask for?”

Garrett’s eyes flashed. “Don’t play clever. You know what I mean.”

Adrian stepped closer to the table, his boots quiet footfall on the rug. “Say it.”

Garrett’s voice rose, echoing off the shelves. “This is all bullshit. You’re putting us all in danger with your connection to that Brannigan bastard.” He spat the name, clearly finding it foul. “He’s a rough bastard who takes over, barks orders, and suddenly the valley’s full of magic and prophecy, and people bowing like we’re in a bloody fairy tale.”

Adrian’s jaw clenched. “Watch your mouth.”

Garrett leaned forward, his hands braced on the table. “No. You watch yours. Your clan is listening, and we all see what you’re doing.”

Adrian cocked an eyebrow. “And exactly what am I doing?”

Garrett’s eyes were fever-bright. “Letting them name you. Letting them bind you. Letting that village sink its hooks into you until you can’t tell the difference between duty and manipulation.”

Adrian felt heat rise in his chest. Anger, yes, but something else too: fear, sharp and unwanted. Some part of him had asked the same questions.

Max’s voice cut in, calm and dangerous. “Careful, Donaldson.”

Garrett ignored him. “You’re going to lead us into danger because you think you must. Because you’ve been told you’re some kind of Valour.” His lip curled. “And because you’re tethered to Connor fucking Brannigan.”

Adrian’s hands curled into fists. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Garrett laughed harshly. “I know enough. You spend more time in that fucking village than here with your pack. I know you’re making decisions you wouldn’t have made a month ago.”

Adrian stepped around the table, closing the distance. “I’m making decisions to keep people alive.”

Garrett straightened, squaring his shoulders. “Then prove it.”

Adrian stopped. “Prove what?”