Chapter 41; Caelora

I stepped outside the manor, the warm twilight air brushing against my skin as the sky above painted itself in deep shades of purple and gold. I scanned the courtyard, expecting to see some sign of a carriage or horse—anything that suggested we’d be traveling soon.

Nothing.

I turned back toward the door just as Valen appeared behind me, his usual smirk already tugging at the corner of his lips. “Looking for something?”

“I don’t see a horse or carriage,” I said dryly, crossing my arms. “Unless we’re walking?”

He chuckled, stepping down to join me. “No horses today, Red.”

Before I could respond, the heavy wooden doors creaked open again, and Rhaenan stepped out into the fading light. My gaze immediately flickered to him, my eyebrows lifting in mild surprise. Gone was the formal, stoic fae I’d grown used to. In his place was a warrior—dressed in fitted leather armor that accentuated every powerful muscle, his tall frame looking like something straight out of a fae battalion. His boots we