Athena's voice tore through the quiet like a blade.
"What is he doing here?!"
Her finger shot toward Zane before her mind even fully processed the sight of him. Rage cloaked her words—thick, hot, unrestrained—and the force of her shout jolted everyone awake at once.
Kathleen jerked upright first, eyes wide with shock. Nathaniel gasped beside her, blinking rapidly, disoriented for a heartbeat before recognition snapped into place.
"Mom!" both children cried.
They scrambled down from the sofa and ran to her. Athena instinctively opened her arms, gathering them against her chest, breathing in their warmth, their familiar scent.
Relief nearly buckled her knees. But she didn't stop glaring at Zane.
Even as she squeezed her children tighter, even as Kathleen sobbed against her stomach and Nathaniel clung to her arm like he feared she might vanish again—her gaze never left the male sitting stiffly in the corner.
