The words hit heavy in the silence that followed.
“Yes, so why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, her voice trembling even as she tried to sound sharp.
His gaze dropped to her mouth then back up to her eyes, slow and deliberate. Gods, maybe I should leave and give them some privacy.
“Like what?” he teased.
“You know what you’re doing,” she argued weakly.
He reached out, fingers brushing the hair off her shoulders with such care it was almost tender. I couldn’t see her face,but whatever Ezra just saw on it made his grin deepen into something dangerous.
“You look good, little criminal.”
Farris turned away from him too quickly, her movements sharp and defensive. Her gaze landed on me, like she’d just realized I was there. She hesitated, lips parting as if to speak, before she tore her gaze back to Ezra again.
“What the fuck is going on?” she glared at me as if I were the one who’d manhandled her.
“We need your help.” I smiled, trying to keep my tone friendly, but her anger only seemed to double.
Farris lifted her chin in defiance, eyes flashing.
“Farris, you know I love it when you’re a brat.” Ezra stepped forward and grabbed her, his voice low and teasing.
Her eyes widened as his breath brushed her ear. He whispered something that made her face turn bright red.
“Should I leave and give you two a minute to… talk?” I asked, glancing between them as the tension thickened like honey in the air.
Ezra answered first. “Yes.”
Farris elbowed him hard in the stomach and stepped from his grip. The sharp sound of impact echoed through the room, and Ezra’s breath left him in a grunt.
“Absolutely not.” She stepped forward, fire in her voice. “Why have I been kidnapped by two gods while minding my own damn business?”
Her anger was loud, but beneath it, I saw the tremor. She looked scared, really scared and that unease twisted something low in my gut. What was Farris so afraid of? Her gaze flickered to me, then darted away as if the truth might spill out if she held my eyes too long.
Ezra’s brows furrowed, his focus narrowing as he studied her. He felt it too—something was off. The air between us grew taut with unspoken suspicion.
“You know where Elowyn is,” I accused her. The words were rougher than I intended.
Her eyes moved to mine. For a heartbeat, she looked ready to deny it, but her shoulders dropped, her defiance wilting beneath exhaustion. She sighed, resigned.
“Yes, she is going to be expecting me back home soon. She’ll be worried.”
Ezra’s brows pinched together as he looked up at me. My chest tightened under the weight of what her words implied. My gaze sharpened on Farris, who still refused to look at me.
“You’re living with her?” I asked.
Farris tugged at the ends of her sleeves, her fingers trembling. The movement was small, but it screamed discomfort. Her eyes widened, darting to me.
“You know who Philip is to her?” she asked.
“Yes, her fated mate, but not for long,” I answered. “Now tell me why you are living with her and not your husband.”
The question cracked something open. Farris’s throat worked as she glanced over her shoulder at Ezra before looking back to me, terror plain in her face. Her lashes fluttered rapidly as she fought tears.
“Because Philip beats me,” she whispered.
The air vanished from the room. Ezra’s body went still, the muscle in his jaw ticking once before his eyes flared red. The temperature shifted, the air trembling with power. Crimson mist began to snake around his legs, thick and alive. I stepped back instinctively—Ezra’s beast was rising, and his fury was a living thing.
