Jaxon's POV
" Son, do not make me remind you where your loyalties should lie," my father's voice rolled through the phone, low and poisonous, like the sluggish hiss of a snake.
I gripped the phone tighter, pacing the length of my study." And what exactly are you trying to say, Dad? Just cut to the chase for formerly."
There was a pause, one that stretched out long enough to set my teeth on edge. He always did this — took his time, let the silence Mold, staying for me to blench. I was not smelling, not this time.
" Keep Kara near," he eventually said, each word a deliberate dagger." You know how important appearances are. You wouldn't want Isabel or anyone differently getting the wrong idea about where your precedence’s lie."
" Is that a threat?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intend
