Zenaya stared at Cain as if she had misheard him.
The air between them felt thick, heavy with everything that had just happened, and yet his expression was so calm, so mildly curious, that for a moment she wondered whether she had imagined his last words.
"What did you say?" she asked slowly, her voice measured, her crimson eyes fixed on his face.
Cain tilted his head slightly, as though confused by her reaction. His dark hair fell over his brow, his lips forming a faint, harmless smile.
"I said," he replied, "what do you mean, Elder, about a tamed beast?"
The words were clear.
Plain.
As if he truly did not understand.
Zenaya's heart gave a small, heavy thud inside her chest.
Not your tamed beast?
