Kaius turned toward her, his movements slow but purposeful, each step closing the distance between them like the ticking of a countdown.
Austin felt her breath catch. An unfamiliar chill ran down her spine, not from fear, but from the sheer force of his presence.
She instinctively stepped back until her shoulder blades met the cool, unyielding surface of the wall behind her.
Without a word, Kaius braced one arm above her head and the other beside her waist, trapping her in place.
His body didn't touch hers, but the space between them was charged, electric.
What had felt like a spacious guest room now seemed to contract around them, the walls pressing inward with every heartbeat.
His eyes held hers, that gold now molten, a predator's gaze stripped of all pretence.
"Re
