The sun was warm against my skin as we stepped out of the Packhouse, but it barely touched the pressure sitting heavy on my chest. Warmth meant freedom; today it felt like another leash.
The Caine brothers walked tight around me—too close, too coordinated—like a silent formation designed to box me in. Four living walls. Four shadows stretching long across the drive, swallowing mine until it barely existed.
Two black SUVs waited at the end of the path, polished enough to reflect the runes carved faintly along their rims. Those sigils glowed in the morning light, pulsing with ward-magic meant to protect whoever rode inside.
Right now, I felt like cargo.
My pulse jumped. My palms went sweaty. Every step toward the SUV felt like a choice I wasn’t making.
And of course… Callum had to start
