Josie
For a moment, I thought he hadn't heard me. Kiel just stood there, his eyes on mine, unreadable, his jaw flexing like he was trying to decide between walking away or tearing the entire building apart.
Then, in a sharp tone that cut through the air, he snapped, "Guards! Bring the elders back here. Now."
The sudden command hit me like a slap.
"What?" I turned to him, blinking. "What are you doing?"
His mouth twitched into something dangerously close to a smirk, though the fire in his eyes was no joke. "Watch and see," he said, voice low and brimming with an energy I didn't quite know how to name.
"Kiel—" I started, but he held up a finger, silencing me without even looking my way.
The guards obeyed in seconds, their heavy boots thudding across the floor as they disappeared down the hall. I stood rooted in place, arms crossed over my chest more out of instinct than defiance. The sound of muffled protests floated toward us before the elders were marched back into the room.
