The tires crunched over the gravel drive as the car passed through the gates of the Silver Claw compound, the late evening sun casting gold along the sharp lines of the stone perimeter walls. The silence inside the vehicle was heavy.
Raven sat curled against the rear passenger door, her body angled away from the others. Her eyes were locked on the passing landscape, but they didn't seem to see it. Her shoulders were square, her jaw tight, and a cold sort of distance wrapped around her like armor.
Elisa kept casting worried glances in her direction, chewing the inside of her cheek. Raven hadn't spoken since they left the outskirts of the city. Not one word. Just that eerie, heavy silence.
Up front, Cael gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his other resting against the window frame. His face was unreadable, but his jaws kept clenching.
As Cael slowed the vehicle and pulled up to the circular driveway, Mary and Jason were standing outside waiting for them.
