Chapter 65. The Perfect Bait

Gavriel was still panting when he returned to the palace, his body shifting back into human form as the first light of dawn spilled over the stone walls. Instead of heading to his bedchamber, he went straight to his meeting chamber, ordering a servant to summon Simon at once.

He poured himself a glass of wine and sank into the chair, the cool burn sliding down his throat. His chest still heaved from the run, but it wasn’t from exhaustion—it was from the gnawing ache in his chest, the restless clawing of Chaos inside him.

Every fiber of him itched to go back upstairs, to throw open the doors to his bedchamber and see her. To assure himself that she was still there. That she was safe.

Chaos snarled in his mind, [Stubborn!]

His grip tightened on the glass. He downed another swallow, ignoring the beast pacing inside him. If he gave in now, if he so much as looked at her, he would lose the fragile leash of control he still held.

She was Cain’s daughter. The