What Comes Before

[Raffe]

Raffe shivered. He was still catching his breath, but the atmosphere had gone dangerously taut. When a slowly familiar sense of menace joined the fray, he finally shifted. Swallowing, he searched the club’s shadows, wondering if anyone else was here. He hoped not. Oriena could be fickle and unpredictable; could lash out as easily as smirk and crook a sly finger. But she was part of Kallisti, which meant she was family even when she was being a royal bitch. Right now there was a glaze in her eye like fury and madness warred, but maybe she was just drunk. He didn’t even know what they were talking about, but he understood that power was flickering around the room like electricity.

This was a bad cocktail. Though he wasn’t sure it was wise, he broached the distance to touch Nox lightly on the arm, his actual arm, as ever first to the fore as a peacemaker.