Lucien's lips curved, though it wasn't quite a smile. "A trade," he repeated, his tone brushing over the word as if testing its sharpness. "And what exactly was exchanged, in your opinion?"
Liora kept her gaze steady, though her heartbeat had begun to quicken. "Freedom for position," she said quietly. "Though I'm not certain which side got the better bargain."
The faintest glimmer of amusement touched his eyes. "Bold," he murmured. "Most in your position would be too frightened to speak so plainly."
"I've found," Liora said, her voice low but firm, "that fear is only useful if it keeps you alive. Beyond that, it serves no purpose."
His fingers tapped once against the armrest. "And yet, fear is what keeps most people in their place."
"Perhaps I don't belong in the place you expect me to occupy," she replied.
