Kael's POVLucien came alone.That was the first thing I noticed. No guards, no collectors, no council escorts, just him. He stood at the mouth of the tunnel with one hand in his coat pocket, looking more like a man arriving late to dinner than someone who had fought through half the city to reach us.Rainwater dripped from the hem of his black coat, forming a small puddle at his feet. He looked at the note in my hand, then at the small wooden box resting on the stone pedestal. His expression softened with something that almost resembled nostalgia. "So," he said quietly. "She really kept it." Nobody lowered a weapon.Raven stepped in front of me without thinking.Lucien noticed. "I've always admired your loyalty." "I don't care." "I know." "You take one more step, and I'll shoot." He smiled. "You've said that before." "I meant it then." "I know." His gaze drifted to me. "And yet here we all are." Marcus shifted closer to my side. "What do you want?"Lucien looked almost offended. "My