Chapter 26: The ghost between us
The cathedral was colder than usual. Its long-forgotten corridors echoed with whispers of a past that didn't belong to them, but somehow followed them. As Cain helped lay his mother on a stone bench beneath the broken arch of a stained-glass window, Selene stayed close, her fingers brushing his lightly.
He was exhausted, bruised, quiet — but not from pain. It was the weight of responsibility, of secrets unearthed too fast.
Lucien paced. Ayden checked the perimeter again.
And Eira? She stood in the shadows. Watching Cain. Watching Selene.
The silence between them was thick. Like the last pages of an old book no one wanted to reread.
Eira finally stepped forward, the faintest tremor in her voice. "I didn't expect to find you like this, Cain."
Cain looked at her, but his expression was unreadable. "Like what?"
"With her." She glanced at Selene, and there it was — the old jealousy. Not malicious, but aching. "You never looked at me that way. Not even when we were..."
Selene didn't flinch. Her hands were calm, even as her eyes stayed locked on Eira.