edatory eyes cut through the space between them

immediately dropped her gaze, staring hard at the tips of her bare, dirty toes on the marb

rned his head, following the exact trajectory her eyes had j

Desperation fueled a sudden burst of manic energy. She lunge

bled forward, her bare feet slipping on the polished marble. She crashed h

d, letting her wet, tangled hair fall over her face

smell of cheap lye soap and the sight of the dirty water dripping

r eyes from a moment ago flashed in his mind. The way she had looked at the map. There was no fea

ce was low, but it carried across the

like it was packed with dry sand. Her teeth chat

r hand, her heavy rings catching the sunlight. "M

could bleed her

girl's lip onto his pristine floor. But the absolute, freezing lethality in his tone-his utter intolerance for mindless, messy vio

bat boot entered Haley's downward field of vision. The sh

The impatience in his ton

dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands,

embling whisper, carrying the distinct, roun

ble shift occurred in Axel

rely on the next few seconds. "It's... it's a dr

ley, her mouth slightly open. No one expected the girl

s hand snapped shut. The

in his posture dialed back a fraction,

s to the front of her mind. "But... the coastline proportions on the bottom left are wrong.

ed her head up, meeting his terrifying, dark eyes f

king a step back. To insult the warlord's private collection

He looked at her for three full seconds. The silen

d. It wasn't a warm sound. It was a short, sharp exhalatio

air on the back of H

simply broke eye contact, turning his broad b

is shoulder. He didn't speci

etreating back. Haley remained slumped on the marble, her heart hammering against her ribs, en