Chapter 163Devante's POV
The air in my personal chamber was thick with incense and smoke from the charmed candles that lined the walls. The scent was sharp, burnt sage mixed with something darker, something metallic. Blood, maybe. My father always said the old ways needed the scent of sacrifice to wake the ancestors.
I hated this room. But here I was, because my father asked to see me in here.
I stood in front of him, my head bowed slightly, though my hands were clenched behind my back. He'd summoned me without warning, and that was never a good sign.
"Do you know why you're here?" His voice was calm, the kind that always made my stomach twist because it meant he was in control.
"No, Father."
He turned from the fire pit and faced me, his eyes gleaming through the smoke. "I've been hearing things, Devante. Things I do not like."
My jaw tightened. "Rumors?"
