The knock wasn’t loud, but it carried. Three sharp raps that cut through the silence like the c***k of a whip. Seraphina stiffened on the couch. Kael’s hand went automatically to the Glock on the table, sliding it into his palm in one smooth, practiced motion.
Kael didn’t move immediately. He stood with that hunter’s patience, gaze locked on the door as though it might breathe. His jaw ticked once, the only c***k in the marble of his composure.
“Stay behind me,” he said, quiet, stripped down to command.
She bristled, ready to argue, but the sharp look he cut her way nailed her tongue to the roof of her mouth. His green eyes weren’t simply dangerous- they were warning her: move, and I’ll pin you to the floor myself. And she absolutely believed he would.
The second knock came, slower. De
