_[VANT POV]_
The door shut behind Selene.
Visiting hours over.
Cael and I were alone.
He was sitting up in the bed. Pale. Bandaged. But his eyes were on me. Hard. I couldn't stand the way he looked at Selene. He was a man. He knew what those looks meant.
I admit he was handsome. Face well sculpted. Muscles ripped from years of training. Even in hospital wear, he looked like the kind of man on a magazine cover. Dark hair. Strong jaw. The kind of face women trusted.
But I knew he was no match for me. I was confident enough.
I stood by the door. He stared back.
Neither of us blinked.
The room felt smaller. The machines beeped like a countdown. It felt like a fight without fists. A battle of who wanted her more.
Cael broke first. “Do you actually care about her?”
“Mind you
