"I see that," I replied, uneasy and unsure what to do with it.
I looked down the street. Shops on both sides, a café with fogged windows, crowds moving in and out of doorways. Too open. Too loud.
I pointed to a smaller store tucked between the flower shop and the bakery—quiet and contained, the kind of place that didn't demand anything from you just by existing.
"That works," Ryker said. Immediately. No hesitation, no comment.
Kael nodded once. "Lead the way."
The bell above the door rang softly when I pushed it open.
Warm air wrapped around me immediately, chasing the cold from my skin. Soft music played somewhere in the background. The scent of fabric and faint florals drifted through the store. It was contained and unhurried and nothing like the packhouse on a busy morning.
I pau
