The quarantine suite was supposed to be the safest room in the fortress, yet the attempt on Adhya’s life had proven the invisible perimeter was fatally flawed. Three days into her recovery, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension and Ranvijay’s coiled rage.

Adhya was fragile, her mind trapped between the pain of her compound fracture and the terrifying, sharp memory of the chemical attack. The trauma had amplified her dependence; every time Ranvijay left the room, even for a moment, a wave of cold, isolating terror washed over her. She wanted only him.