Preston swung his legs off the bed with Madeline's help, his glare at me sharp as a fang. "A watch— even that grates on you?"
I locked eyes on Madeline.
She flinched, ducking behind him like a scared pup. His stare hardened to ice. "What, miss high-and-mighty gonna throw your weight around again?"
The sheer ridiculousness hit me like a slap; any urge to hash it out evaporated.
I studied him a long beat, then said it even, calm as still water. "When you point paws at me, better have proof to back it."
Something raw flickered in his eyes, building to a boil. He snatched my right arm, wrenching the jade bangle off my wrist with a twist.
"Preston!" Panic clawed up my throat.
"This was your dam's gift, right?" He stared me down cold, then smashed it to the floor.
It shattered in four ja
