While Noah and Ignareth circled each other in the hall, James lingered in the council chamber, shuffling through the parchments the emperor had left behind.
Sebastian closed the door quietly. "You're not worried they'll notice you rifling through their plans?"
James didn't look up. "If they didn't want me to see, they wouldn't have left them here."
Sebastian crossed the room, stopping beside him. "You're playing a dangerous game."
James finally looked at him, eyes glinting. "So are you."
The air between them shifted — the same way it always did when James was too close, when Sebastian's carefully built walls started to feel less like protection and more like a cage.
"You've been keeping things from me," James said, his voice softer now.
Sebastian met his gaze. "Would you rather I tell you everything and lose the chance to keep you alive?"
James smiled faintly. "So you are protecting me."
"Always," Sebastian said before he could stop himself.
