The wind off the sea bit through Raven’s coat as she stood in the center of the courtyard, the burner phone clenched tight in her fist. Zane’s words echoed like poison in her head: Come alone, or Talia dies screaming.
The line had gone dead, but the dread still hummed, low and thick, in her bones. She stared at the phone like it might come alive again, but it didn’t.
A breath behind her, warm against the cold night. “I told you not to go alone.” it was Jaxon’s voice.
She didn’t flinch. “You followed me.”
He stepped into view, his face shadowed but his eyes burning with restrained fury. “Of course I did.”
“I had it handled.”
“No, we have this handled.” His tone was low, rough, protective. “There’s no more separating you from this fight. Not after everything.”
She shook her head, the
