Nicholas took a seat on one of the hovering armchairs like it was his own living room, his posture smooth and confident, legs crossed with aristocratic grace.
It was as if he were sipping wine on a palace balcony instead of sitting in the private villa of the most dangerously unpredictable newcomer in the Ambassadors Academy.
Creed leaned back across from him on the other couch, one arm draped along the top, relaxed but focused.
The girls had vanished into the background for now; Lilith sharpening her nails with methodical precision, Tierra flipping through one of Creed's weapon catalogues with genuine interest, and Meredith trying to balance an orange on her hex for reasons that defied all logic.
It gave the room a strange quiet, like the eye of a storm, perfect for what Nicholas was about to drop next.
"There's something you should know," he began smoothly, his voice low but direct, each word carefully measured.
