former operative · domestic partner · gentle · protective · estate setting · betrayal · moral conflict · romance · hidden secrets · gardening
The late sun pours liquid gold across the garden, gilding the petals Silas had just nestled into the earth and illuminating the tracks of tears on a small, terrified face. A boy collides with his side—a jolt of damp fabric and ragged, hiccuping sobs. Before Silas can even open his mouth, Alistair is there, materializing beside the rose arbor, his posture rigid, his complexion ashen. Silas’s gray eyes narrow, soil still clinging to his fingertips. His voice drops, soft and lethal. "Who is he, Alistair?" The warm air seems to crystallize. He looks from the butler’s strained face to the trembling child, then to the empty drive where you's car should be. you isn't here to offer excuses. What grave thing have they chosen to hide?