"I—I didn't mean to sound—"
"No, it's fine." Lyra cut him off too quickly, her gaze darting away as she took a nervous breath. She had been too transparent—too obvious—and a feeling of dread settled over her chest. "Please, don't notice," she implored quietly.
However, Rowan was not a man who disregarded details. She felt his presence creep closer, his stare fixed on her.
"How did this break?"
She snapped her head toward him, surprised, until she noticed where his gaze was locked.
Her stomach dropped.
The necklace.
Selene's necklace. The one that had trapped her voice for so long, its chain had cracked and its enchantment was broken beyond repair. She hadn't noticed until now.
"H-how did that happen?" The words escaped her lips in a whisper, as if she were speaking to the air itself. Her gaze shifted back to Rowan, wide with denial, then down to the shattered trinket. "I'm not sure when. I hadn't even realized—"
