Her voice cracks.“I said no.”
Something in me goes still.
Not angry.
Not frustrated.
Alert.
She’s protecting someone.
She’s hiding something.
Something bad.
Something dangerous.
“Fine,” I say, even though it’s the farthest thing from fine.“You don’t want to talk about it?”
Her shoulders slump in relief.
“But listen to me,” I add.
Her head snaps up.
I lean down, bringing my face level with hers.My voice drops into the low, dark place it only goes when I’m dead serious.
“If someone touched you...”
My jaw clenches.
“...you tell me their name.”
“Atlas—”
“And I’ll handle it.”
Her breath stutters.
“No talking.No questions.No witnesses.”
I straighten slightly, eyes locked on hers.
“You tell me, and I’ll make it go away.”
She swallows hard, throat bobbing.“That’s...not reassuring.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be.”
For a moment, neither of us moves.
Her pulse is hammering in her neck.
I can practically feel her heartbeat from where I’m standing.
Then—
Kael’s voice booms from across the room.“Atlas.”
